Besheret
by Trepverter
Summary: WIP A mysterious beautiful woman unexpectedly appears in Daniel’s room. She brings startling revelations about the connection between her planet and Earth’s past. What she has to offer is beyond anything Daniel imagined. Please Read and Review!
1. Chapters 1 to 6

**Besheret**

Disclaimer: **_Stargate_** SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, SCI FI Channel, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement is intended. All rights are recognized. Storyline concepts and non-original characters are my own. This story was written for fun and is reproduced on the web for the enjoyment of other fans. There is no commercial intent nor do I make any monetary profit from my fanfiction stories.

-1-

Daniel leaned his head back upon his pillow. It was the end of a rough day on the Planet PX-9994 known by the inhabitants as 'Neona'. He was surprised to find many artifacts containing writings of the Ancients stored in deep caves. _It must have been a holding area of some sort_, Daniel had concluded. He was sorry that he was only able to take a few of the more ornate artifacts back with him, but he knew it would be impossible to properly study anything on site. Besides, he was sure it would take many more trips to the Neona caves to sift through all the artifacts.

Daniel flipped over onto his back and put his hands under his head, staring blankly up at the ceiling. He was anxious to begin translating the writings on the stone tablets he had brought back with him, but he hadn't had any sleep for two days, so he knew he wouldn't be functioning at his best until he got some rest. Regardless, Dr. Frasier had insisted that he get at least a good night's sleep before anything else.

Daniel rolled onto his right side and punched the pillow beneath him. _Was he so over-tired that he **couldn't **sleep? _he wondered. All he could think about were those artifacts from Neona. He was sure they predated anything he had ever seen. In fact, he was willing to bet that they were created by the hands of the same 'Ancients', who had built the Stargate.

Though it was dark, he could still make out the room's simple furnishings; a large metal desk with chair, two tall wooden bookcases, and a long worktable were the only other pieces of furniture in the room save his bed and nightstand. An engraved circular stone artifact, obtained from today's expedition to Neona, lying on top of Daniel's desk caught his eye. It appeared to glow. _Was he seeing things or was it merely a reflection of light_? Daniel immediately regretted not having taken the time to decipher the ancient writing on the stone before retiring to bed.

"I can't sleep," Daniel muttered reaching for his glasses. He rose to his feet and switched on the light. He knew he should be sleeping, but the excitement over his recent expedition wouldn't be dismissed. "Maybe if I…"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Daniel?"

"Be right there!" he called back.

"Daniel, I need to speak with you."

"Okay-okay. I'm coming," he answered, stumbling over a pair of his shoes he had neglected to put away. "_**Darn** _those shoes!" he mumbled, nearly tripping over himself.

"What's up?" he asked, opening the door.

No one was there.

"Hello?" he called, looking up and down the hallway. "This isn't funny guys!" he said hesitantly, waiting for Jack or Teal'c to appear.

"Daniel."

"Yes?" Daniel answered, turning around, with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Daniel, I am glad to see you."

"Who are you?" Daniel demanded, trying to determine from where her voice was coming.

"My name is Tatarina."

Daniel returned to his room and closed the door behind him. No one was in the hallway or in his room. He shook his head. _I must be dreaming._

"You're not dreaming."

Daniel's jaw dropped. "Can you read my mind?"

"No."

A look of relief washed over his face. "Good. Why can't I see you?" he asked, his eyes darting across the room.

"You can't see me because you're not looking in the right direction. I'm over here, next to your bookcase."

Daniel turned toward his bookcase. Standing before him was a stunning, slender, red-haired young woman dressed in a long flowing white gown that seemed to sparkle. He estimated her to be about his age; however, he couldn't be sure. Her long amber tresses spilled gently over her shoulders in ringlets that reached her hips.

"Tatarina?" he asked, staring into her large deep-green eyes. He was immediately taken by her beauty. "How did you get in?"

"You opened the door, silly," Tatarina laughed playfully. Her eyes sparkled.

Daniel looked away, shaking his head in disbelief.

Tatarina stepped closer to Daniel in slow, easy steps. "Daniel Jackson. You are the chosen one. You must come back and set me free."

She was so close to him; he could smell the lilac scent of her perfume. She was utterly intoxicating; Daniel was convinced he was dreaming. After all, she was too perfect to be real.

"Chosen One?" he asked, struggling to focus his attention on her words and away from the desire growing within him.

She reached up and removed his eyeglasses, placing them carefully on top of a stack of books on his desk.

"I don't understand…" Daniel said still not convinced this was anything more than a dream.

"It has been foretold of your coming. You are the one who broke the seal; you are my besheret. All this time I have been asleep, waiting for you. Now, you must return to the cavern and release me." Tatarina gently pressed her lips against his.

"Besheret… soul mate," Daniel whispered. He instinctively closed his eyes, smiling as her lips lingered upon his. He felt as though he was enveloped in a cloud of joy and wanted nothing more than to hold onto this moment forever. This _HAD_ to be a dream.

-2-

Daniel opened his eyes. Lying comfortably on his back in bed, he glanced at his watch. He had been asleep for over **_nine hours!_** He looked around the room half-expecting to see something or someone. _This is strange,_ he thought. He swung his feet over the side of his bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Rising out of bed, he realized that he felt _different_: energized. It was more than just a good 'fresh' feeling; he felt happy. No… happy wasn't quite the _right_ word to describe it; rather, he felt something akin to the excited joyfulness a child feels upon waking on Christmas morning. He felt positively _exuberant_!

He reached for his glasses on the nightstand beside his bed, but they were not there. _That's funny_, he thought. Daniel scratched his head. _Maybe they fell on the floor,_ he considered, kneeling down to search under his bed.

Three loud thuds on his door interrupted his search.

"Daniel? Are you awake yet?" Jack bellowed.

"Yes, I'm awake," Daniel called out, as he rose to his feet to open the door.

"It's about time, Sleeping Beauty!" Jack teased. "This is what happens when you stay out past curfew!"

Daniel shook his head. This was typical for his commander. Deciding to ignore Jack's comments, Daniel scratched his head and began, again, to search for his missing eyeglasses.

"You okay?" Jack asked with concern.

"Huh?" Daniel glanced at Jack momentarily and continued on his search. "Oh yeah, I'm just looking for my eyeglasses…"

"You mean those?" Jack pointed to Daniel's glasses, perched carefully on top of a stack of books on his desk.

Daniel frowned. "Yes. Thanks," he said sheepishly, reaching for the glasses. "Did you _want _something?" he asked as he slowly put the glasses on. Suddenly, Daniel snatched the glasses off his face and stared quizzically at them.

"Something wrong?" Jack asked, looking puzzled.

"Don't know," Daniel replied hesitantly, examining the glasses closely. "These ARE my glasses," he commented, as if to reassure himself.

"Who else would they belong to?" Jack asked, staring at Daniel suspiciously.

Daniel held the glasses up and peered through them. "Jack… These glasses are not the right prescription…. I mean, I can't see through them."

"It's probably time for a new eye-glass prescription, Daniel," Jack suggested. "Must be from all that scrounging around in dark dusty places playing with broken pottery and painted stones."

"Historical artifacts, Jack. Studying planet's historical artifacts are important…"

"Yeah-yeah-yeah. Whatever. Never mind that," Jack interrupted. "I'm not surprised your eyes are going on you, Daniel…"

It was Daniel's turn to interrupt. "Jack."

"What?" Jack shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"That's just it. My eyesight isn't _worse_, it's _better_. I mean, my eyesight is perfect _without my glasses!" _Daniel explained, holding his glasses out toward Jack.

Jack glanced at the eyeglasses and back at the amazed look on Daniel's face. "I think you should pay a little visit to Dr. Frasier. Check back with me afterwards."

Daniel nodded in agreement.

-3-

Dr. Frasier smiled as Daniel entered the infirmary. "Good morning, Daniel. My, you're looking chipper. I take it you had a good night's sleep?" she asked warmly.

"Uh, yes I did… Thank you, Janet," Daniel replied, sitting down on the examination table.

Dr. Frasier stepped closer to Daniel, her eyes locked on Daniel's face. "It's _amazing_ what a good night's rest can do for a person," she commented. "Truly _remarkable_…" She said, lightly touching his cheek in fascination.

"Uh, yes, I suppose…" Daniel answered, growing uncomfortable.

"Your face is positively _glowing!_" she said with amazement, stepping back, but not taking her eyes off him. "It's incredible!"

"Incredible?" Daniel asked, confused.

"It's just that you… well…" Dr. Frasier hesitated before completing her sentence. "… never looked so good," she answered, her eyes still locked on him.

Daniel's eyes narrowed, trying to focus on what she was saying. Why was she looking at him like that? he wondered. He noticed that her eyes were fully dilated and she seemed very unsettled. Nervous even

"Is there something I can do for you this morning?" she asked, her voice taking on a more formal tone. She quickly turned away from him snatching a clipboard from a nearby table.

"Janet… are you okay?" Daniel asked concerned._ Was she blushing?_

"Yes. I'm fine," she responded sharply. "I've got a lot of work to do, so if there isn't anything…" Dr. Frasier added, turning her back on Daniel.

"No-no…" he began, trying to call her back to him. "Er… I mean… yes. It's my eyeglasses. I don't need them anymore." Daniel held out his glasses for her to see.

"You mean you need a new eyeglass prescription?" she said taking them from him.

"No. I mean, I don't need glasses at all," Daniel answered shaking his head. "I woke up this morning and… that's it. Everything is blurry when I put on the glasses. I don't suppose you've seen this kind of thing before," Daniel added, feeling foolish.

"Well, no. It is normal for vision to change as one ages, but it is unheard of for someone's vision, especially someone of your age, to…" she stopped in mid-sentence. "Why don't we just have a look and see," she said moving closer to examine Daniel's vision. Too close.

-4-

"Hey, Jack," Daniel said, seating himself in a chair across from General O'Neill's desk.

"Hey, Daniel," Jack replied, glancing up from some papers he had been working on.

"You told me to report to you after I checked in with Dr. Frasier."

"And?" Jack said leaning forward expectantly.

"She did a most thorough exam. I mean not just the typical eye exam, but she ran a full-blown physical. And we're not talking just checking blood pressure, heart-rate, ears, eyes and throat, but she ran blood lipid profiles, an EKG, MRI, stress test, hair follicle test, breathalyzer test…"

"Yeah-yeah-yeah… I get it. She's very thorough, that's what we pay her for. Can we cut to the chase here?" Jack answered impatiently.

"She didn't find anything wrong. I'm perfectly normal."

"Then that's a good thing. Right?" Jack asked.

"Jack. Something's weird with Dr. Frasier. I mean she ran tests on me that… well… frankly, were completely unwarranted."

"Daniel, I understand that you don't like these examinations, and honestly, I, myself, am… let's say 'less than enthusiastic' about them as well; but, if Dr. Frasier ran them, then they must serve a purpose. You can't be too careful," Jack said sternly.

"But, Jack…"

"No, 'buts', Dr. Jackson. Jack shook his finger at Daniel.

Daniel sighed. He knew, whenever Jack referred to him by his title, there was no arguing. Jack had an uncanny habit of pulling rank when he didn't want to discuss something that he didn't agree with.

Yes, General."

"Anything else?" Jack asked, folding his hands together, another sign that Jack was ready to move on to another topic.

"No, sir." There was no point in addressing Janet's 'peculiar' behavior in the infirmary; Jack would probably say he was imagining things anyway.

"Fine. Say, Daniel, anything new on those 'artifacts' you retrieved from Neona?"

"Not yet. I was hoping to get to it now. We're scheduled to make a return trip to Neona this afternoon."

"Good." Jack returned his attention to the papers on his desk. "Wish I were going," he mumbled to himself.

Daniel smiled to himself as he exited the General's office.

-5-

Daniel jumped up from his seat at his desk in his room. "I don't believe it!" he shouted. "This is amazing!" He shook his head in disbelief. "This makes perfect sense and yet we missed it completely."

Unable to contain his excitement, he ran out of the room to Colonel Carter's lab.

As he drew closer to the lab, he heard two female voices. _Sounds like Sam has company,_ he thought.

"Sam, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like seeing him for the first time. I don't know… I feel like a schoolgirl with a crush on the Captain of the football team. Am I crazy? I'm too old for this sort of thing."

Daniel immediately recognized Dr. Frasier's voice.

"You're talking about _Daniel_. _Our_ Daniel. You have the hots for Daniel," Sam said firmly.

"Sam, please don't put it _that way_."

"Sorry. I guess I just never thought of him that way," Sam explained. "I…don't know what to tell you. Does he know you feel this way?"

"I don't think so…. and he'd better not find out from you either!" Janet warned. "Please don't say anything to anyone."

"No problem," Sam agreed.

"Thanks Sam. I appreciate it."

_Janet has the hots for me?_ Daniel wondered as he stepped away from the lab and ducked down another corridor to avoid being seen by Dr. Frasier and Sam.

"Daniel Jackson."

Daniel's thoughts were interrupted by Teal'c.

"Teal'c."

"Do you require assistance?" Teal'c asked, looking puzzled.

"Uh, no, Teal'c but thanks for asking," Daniel replied, distracted.

"You are most welcome, Daniel Jackson."

"Say Teal'c, do I look any different to you?" Daniel asked curiously.

"I do not understand."

"Do you notice anything different about me today?" Daniel repeated.

"I do not," Teal'c replied flatly.

"No, of course not," Daniel agreed. "You wouldn't."

Raising an eyebrow, Teal'c looked at him questioningly. "If you do not feel well perhaps you should pay a visit to Dr. Frasier," he suggested.

"Uh….no thanks. I already have."

Teal'c bowed slightly.

"Say Teal'c have you ever heard anything of the great world-wide flood on Earth?" Daniel asked.

"I have not," Teal'c answered.

"No. I don't suppose you would have…It's written in the Bible," Daniel replied. "The Bible is a historical text considered sacred by many of the Tau'ri. It's foundational doctrine is based on the belief that there is only one true Almighty God," he explained.

"This God," Daniel continued, "is the same one who created the heavens, the Earth, animals, land, water, and man. His desire was to fellowship with man; but, due to man's choice to succumb to forbidden temptations, man broke fellowship with his God. As time went on, man's bad behavior continued to spread and grow worse. The Earth filled with violence and evil. Eventually, there was no one who trusted in God. That is, no one except a fellow named Noah. God decided to rid the world of the disobedient people by sending a worldwide flood. He spoke to Noah and warned him of the impending flood. He instructed him to build a large boat and bring aboard his family, different animals of the land, and the necessary provisions to sustain them. Though Noah warned people of the flood, no one had believed him. The others laughed at him and, in the end, only Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their wives boarded the ark. The eight survivors were the only ones saved from the flooding waters. It is believed that everyone on Earth today is a descendant of Noah."

"Interesting," Teal'c answered.

"Teal'c, I just finished translating the tablets we brought back from Neona. They explain the history of the Neonans," Daniel said excitedly. "The Neonans are descendants of the pre-flood civilizations on Earth that date back to the time of Noah! They were far more advanced than we could ever imagine! In fact, technology that we attributed to aliens actually comes from the ancestry of the Neonans, the very same ancestors of_ Noah_ … _our ancestors_, not the Goa'uld or some other sophisticated technically-advanced aliens from another planet. Do you realize what this means?"

"Did we not already suspect that the Neonan's ancestors came from Earth?" Teal'c questioned.

"Yes, but, what's truly amazing is that the technology of their time was _much_ more advanced than anyone ever suspected," Daniel explained. "Since pretty much all of the technology had been buried or destroyed by the flood, Noah didn't have access to that technology he was already familiar with; so, his family being forced to begin their society on a more primal level left no traces of this advanced technology. The technology that should have been credited to Noah's ancestors and the pre-flood civilizations of the Earth, were mistakenly assumed to originate from the technically advanced aliens from another planet."

"How do you know their advanced technology was not given to them by the Goa'uld?" Teal'c replied.

"Because the Neonan tablets describe the construction of the Stargate. The Stargate was constructed by the Noah's contemporaries," Daniel continued.

"Daniel, we know that the Ancients built the Stargate. Are you now saying it was the Neonans?" Teal'c asked.

"Teal'c, I'm saying that the Neonans who built the Stargate _were_ the Ancients. I'm not sure of the specifics, but that much I know," Daniel replied.

"You're suggesting that the Neonans built the Stargate and left the Earth through it; that they, in fact, were not taken forcibly to other planets by Ra, as were many other Tau'ri," Teal'c replied.

"Not only that, I'm suggesting that perhaps the Stargate was built before the flood on the Earth, by the Neonans, as a means of escaping the flood," Daniel answered.

"If what you say is true, then the Neonans did not die in the flood as their God intended and the Bible story is not accurate. Why would their God permit them to escape to another planet if his intent was to destroy them?" Teal'c asked.

"I don't know," Daniel admitted thoughtfully. "It does appear to be a contradiction. The Bible says that everyone but Noah and his family perished in the flood. There is nothing mentioned in the Bible about the Stargate or anyone escaping the deluge. Perhaps, I can find the answers to those questions back on Neona. I need to get back to the cave and collect more of their tablets to translate."

"You mean to say that you are questioning the truthfulness of the Bible?" Sam interjected.

Startled by the interruption, Daniel turned suddenly and found himself face to face with Colonel Samantha Carter.

"Oh, hi Sam, I didn't know you were there…" Daniel said quietly.

"Good afternoon, Colonel Carter," Teal'c said evenly.

The expression on Sam's face softened as Daniel turned to face her. She blushed and nervously looked down at her feet.

"Sam?" Daniel asked, noticing the obvious change in her deportment.

"Um, I was just wondering why an archeologist would so quickly discount our own historical resources…" Sam said quietly, slowly raising her gaze to Daniel's face.

_Is she blushing? _Daniel wondered. Daniel shot a glance over to Teal'c to see if he noticed the obvious change in Sam. Teal'c stoic expression revealed nothing. _No news there_, Daniel thought.

"I don't discount the Bible or other historical resources, Sam. It's just that I'm already familiar with them. I need to get a more complete picture of what the _Neonan's_ historical tablets have to say…" Daniel took a step away from Sam.

Are you okay?" Daniel asked hesitantly. He couldn't help but notice that the pupils in Sam's eyes were fully dilated.

Sam smiled coyly, "Of course."

"Would you like to see the tablets?" Daniel asked, uncertainly.

"Uh, that would be very interesting, but I'm in the middle of running some diagnostics for Janet. Maybe later?" Sam replied shyly, squeezing his hand.

"Sure. Whatever you say," Daniel answered uneasily. "What about you, Teal'c?" he asked, turning his attention away from Sam.

"I am afraid that would not be possible at this time. I must be on my way to a meeting with General O'Neill."

"That's okay," Daniel replied, feeling like he was starring in an episode of the **_'Twilight Zone'_**.

-6-

Crawling around in the dark caves of Neona was a great relief to Daniel. He was never more at home than when he was surrounded by ancient hieroglyphics and historical artifacts; and these caves were an archeologist's dream come true. Daniel was especially glad to get off world with an all-man SG team. He didn't want to get paranoid, but all the women around him were beginning to act very strangely and he knew he couldn't concentrate if he had to contend with the distractions of an amorous female.

This was one of the few missions that Daniel was assigned to accompany one of the other SG teams. He had been selected to go with SG-18 to Neona because the Recon. Team had discovered a plethora of artifacts in the caves. The people of this world were very hospitable and eager to share; thus, Jack had suspected they might make good allies and an allegiance with them would be profitable for them both.

Daniel lost all sense of time scrounging around the artifacts in the cave. There seemed to be no order to these artifacts, and trying to select which ones to study first was based on not much more than a best guess or hunch. He decided to concentrate on the deepest area of the cave for no other reason than supposing the most valuable and best-preserved artifacts would be closest to the interior of the cave. A clay jar shaped in the form of a woman caught his attention. There was something familiar about it. Was it perhaps fashioned after a goddess or prominent princess? he wondered. He carefully placed it into his sack, along with two smaller, but elaborately decorated tablets.

"We've got to head back now, Dr. Jackson," ordered Major Williams, the leader of this SG team.

"Coming…" he shot back, quickly scanning the area for one more thing to take.

"We've got to go NOW…" demanded Williams.

"Okay- okay!" Daniel shot back, grabbing a small jade-colored stone that was no bigger than the size of the palm of his hand. He didn't expect the stone to amount to much, but it gave him the satisfaction of having another precious piece to study.

A quick step through the Stargate and he was back 'home'.

Ordinarily, the brief routine physical exam with Dr. Frasier was something he gave no thought to, but now Daniel found himself trying to postpone the procedure.

"Hey, Jack, want to see the artifacts I picked up on Neona?" Daniel called as he came down the ramp.

"Not particularly. Do you have anything special to report?" Jack asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Um… there is this one piece of pottery that is truly…" Daniel began.

"I take it that's a 'no'?" Jack interrupted.

Daniel shrugged, "I won't know anything until I decipher more inscriptions… But, I would like to talk to you about what I've found so far."

"We can discuss that at the debriefing."

"Sure." Daniel nodded. There was no putting off that exam, so he headed straight for the infirmary, intent on getting it over with.

"Hi, Daniel," Dr. Frasier said to Daniel as he entered the room.

"Hi, Janet. Back for the usual check-up," he replied cheerfully.

"You know, Daniel, I was looking over the test results from earlier this morning," she said nonchalantly.

"Oh?" Daniel asked, innocently. "Did you find something wrong?"

"Well… the only thing wrong was that everything was perfect. I want to rerun all the tests," she said smiling at him suggestively.

Picking up on the flirtatious tone in her voice, Daniel coughed nervously. "I-I'm sorry? You want to rerun ALL the tests? Is that really necessary?" Daniel couldn't believe his ears.

"Why, yes, Daniel. You don't have a problem with that do you?" she asked, sticking a tongue depressor in his mouth just as he opened it to object. "I thought not," she added, leaning a bit too close for Daniel's comfort.

"Janet, I just finished running those diagnostics you asked for and it looks like- _Daniel?_" Sam said stopping short in her tracks.

For lack of ability to talk with his tongue still forced down with Janet's wooden tongue depressor, Daniel attempted to acknowledge Sam's greeting by smiling and shrugging his shoulders.

"Is something wrong?" Sam asked Janet worriedly.

"That's what I'm trying to determine. Daniel has just returned from an off world mission," Janet answered, removing the tongue depressor from Daniel's mouth and shoving a thermometer in its place before Daniel could respond.

"Daniel, I hope nothing is wrong," Sam cooed, as she felt his forehead for signs of a fever. "He looks great to me," she added smiling sweetly a little too close to Daniel's face.

"I can handle this Sam," warned Janet tensely. "Please. Just leave the file on my desk **_on your way out_**," she added, taking Daniel's pulse.

"I was hoping to see those artifacts you mentioned earlier. Shall I just wait here for you while you finish up?" Sam asked Daniel, ignoring Janet's glaring eyes.

"98.6 another perfect score, Daniel," Janet announced tossing the disposable thermometer into the trashcan.

"Um, Sam… I think this may take a while," Daniel answered cautiously.

"Please remove your clothes," Janet ordered matter-of-factly.

"What!" Daniel and Sam said simultaneously.

"It's okay, I AM a doctor," Janet commented confidently. "I need to check your skin for signs of bites, scratches, and suspicious pigment colorations."

Panicky Daniel looked from Janet to Sam.

"Janet, I hardly think…" coming to Daniel's defense, Sam walked over to Daniel and put her arm protectively around his shoulders.

"Sam. Please leave. You are interfering with my examination," Janet announced, peeling Sam's arm from Daniel's shoulder.

"Perhaps I can meet you in my quarters," Daniel suggested, nervously.

"Didn't you just have a complete examination this morning?" Sam asked Daniel.

"Well…" Daniel began.

"This is a mandatory examination that is conducted for EVERYONE returning from all off world missions. You of all people should be aware of that, Colonel Carter!" Janet hissed.

"It's okay, Sam. Really," Daniel insisted.

"Fine. I'll see you when you're through here," Sam said, glaring angrily at Janet. She leaned close and whispered something incoherent to him, her breath tickling his ear sending shivers down his spine. He swore he felt her lips brush against his ear, but he could have been mistaken.

As Sam left, Daniel sighed in relief.

"Okay, Dr. Jackson, strip down to your skivvies," Dr. Frasier commanded.

Daniel's jaw dropped. "You're serious?" he asked in shock.

"Absolutely," she replied smiling mischievously.


	2. Chapters 7 to 13

-7- 

Daniel stumbled into his room in a frenzied stupor. Never had he had such an arousing examination. Doctor Frasier did nothing out of line per se, but everything she did suggested her interest in him. Every touch of her hand had lingered a bit too long; she seemed to position herself a little too close; she prolonged every procedure and taunted him with suggestive words that had provocative double-meanings. Ordinarily he would take this as innocent, playful, flirtatious behavior, but he had known Janet far too long as a friend and colleague for this to be believable. _Or was it? Didn't Janet admit to Sam that she'had a crush' on him? And Sam… what was up with her in the examination room? The two of them were fighting over me!_

Daniel shook his head as if to clear his mind. None of this made any sense. Was the world around him going mad? Or was he?

Daniel was frustrated and needed to cool off. He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower, hoping to emerge from the shower a new man or at least a calmer one. He turned the CD player on and listened to his favorite music as he let the cold-water pound rhythmically against his back, seemingly to the beat of the music.

"Daniel?" a female voice called from just outside the bathroom.

Daniel froze. Naked in the shower was the last place he wished to hold a conversation with an uninvited female right now.

"Daniel? Is that you in the shower?" the voice inquired.

"Um...yeah. It's me. Can you wait a minute?" he answered, hurriedly rinsing the soap from his body.

"I don't suppose you need any help in there…" his visitor called.

"Uh…no." Daniel moved faster, nearly slipping in the shower on the bar of soap he had dropped.

Daniel heard giggling. _Not a good sign_.

He wished he had brought his clothes into the room; somehow, a single bath towel didn't seem modest enough.

His discomfort grew as he stepped from the bathroom and spotted Sam reclining comfortably on his bed.

"My-my what a sight you make!" she commented smiling.

"Uh… what are you doing here?" Daniel asked, nervously holding the towel tightly against his body.

"Don't be so nervous Daniel, I'm a doctor… You don't have anything I haven't seen before," she teased.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you aren't that kind of doctor," he said flatly.

"Neither are you, so we're even," she answered back, flirtatiously. "I came here because you said you had something you wanted to show me…" she said, slipping off the bed and moving closer to him.

"Um, I don't think now is the time…" Daniel objected.

Sam ignored his objections and threw her arms around him. With his hands holding tightly onto the bath towel, Daniel dared not to attempt to push her away.

"Daniel, there is something about you that is completely irresistible." Sam pressed her cheek against his.

Daniel stepped back. "I'm sorry, Sam, I've got to…"

Sam pressed her lips against his and quickly released him. "Not a good time?" she asked innocently. "Maybe tomorrow then," she said sweetly, and calmly walked out the door.

Daniel locked the door behind her, headed back to the shower, and turned it on full blast.

-8-

Emerging from the shower a second time, Daniel slowly opened the door to his room, being careful to peek through the crack to confirm the room was void of any females. With a sigh of relief, he confidently entered the room and headed to the closet for a change of clothes. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a glowing light emanating from something on his desk.

Turning his head to confirm what he thought he saw, he focused his attention to the objects on his desk. The circular tablet that he brought back from his first expedition at Neona was dark at first glance, but began to glow brightly and quickly fade.

"Daniel," a familiar feminine voice called tenderly.

The room filled with the strong scent of lilac.

"Tatarina?" Daniel asked, searching the room. The name slipped from his lips without conscious thought.

"I am so glad to see you, Daniel, my besheret."

Daniel turned around and found Tatarina standing beside the bookcase. She looked as lovely as she did the night before.

Daniel was confused. _Tatarina was a dream, wasn't she?_

Without a word, she drew closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his into a deeply passionate kiss. Daniel's heart pounded and all the frustrated passion he had been fighting off seemed to return with overwhelming power. He must have lost his mind because any sense of control was completely gone and he was powerless to hold himself back any longer. He carefully lifted her off her feet and placed her gently on the bed, where their kisses became more insistent.

"Daniel," she said, as he caressed her face.

He pulled her closer and held her tightly against him, unable to bear the thought of releasing her for even a moment.

"Daniel, you have passed the first test. I am so pleased," she whispered gently.

"Test? What test?" he murmured, his eyes closed breathing in the intoxicating scent of her perfume.

"The test of fidelity, my love," she answered, lightly kissing the corner of his lips. "I have seen you refuse the attentions of other women. Your faithfulness will be rewarded."

"How could I want anyone but you?" The words escaped his lips seemingly without his control. What mesmerizing spell this woman has cast upon him? he wondered.

"Daniel, my love, you have returned with the urn containing my Neshama. Now you must open it and release me," she begged; desperation was evident in her voice.

"Neshama… soul," Daniel mumbled. "You want me to free your soul?" he asked in a daze.

"Yes, you are my chosen one, my besheret. You must release me so that we can be together forever," she said quietly, sprinkling kisses, along the edge of his jaw, between her words.

"Mmmm," Daniel answered pressing his lips against hers once again.

The glow of the circular stone on Daniel's desk began to fade.

-9-

Daniel awoke to the sounds of someone pounding on his door.

"Daniel! Do you _hear_ me? Daniel, I said _unlock_ this door!" shouted Jack.

Daniel opened his eyes. He was wide-awake. This was very strange; he didn't feel like he had been asleep.

"Daniel, if you don't open this door right now…" Jack continued.

"Hold on a second, I'm coming," he called across the room. Daniel was fully dressed, had he gone to bed this way? He tried to remember the last thing he did, but couldn't remember anything after his second shower.

"What's the fuss about Jack?" Daniel asked looking at the worried expression on Jack's face.

"Daniel, I've been pounding on your door for the last 15 minutes. What are you doing in here?" Jack asked, looking around the room.

"I guess I fell asleep," Daniel answered, scratching his head. He looked around the room for some clue as to what happened. _This is strange,_ he thought.

"When you didn't show up for the debriefing I figured you lost track of time mulling over those souvenirs from Neona," Jack commented, folding his arms across his chest.

"**_Artifacts._** And no, I haven't even had time to unpack them," Daniel answered, reaching for his bag. "Want to see?"

"Uh- no. I'll wait for the final report," Jack answered. "Daniel, are you okay?" he asked, with a worried expression on his face.

"Sure, Jack," he responded, carefully placing the urn on his desk. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just not like you to miss a debriefing and you're acting kind of strange," Jack admitted, staring at the urn. "What _is_ that?" he asked.

"This?" Daniel asked pointing to the urn. "It's an urn. It probably belonged to a Queen, Princess or some notable lady of Neona. The shape of the urn is meant to resemble one of two things: the identity of the one contained within; or, in some cases the god or goddess who protects the contents of the urn until the day of their resurrection."

"There are ashes of a cremated woman in there?" Jack asked, looking disgusted.

"Oh no, not ashes," Daniel replied. "The Neonans preserve an individual's spirit and soul in these urns until the time that the one's specially chosen 'besheret' …or _'soul mate'_… arrives and releases them. They believe that once one's spirit and soul have been preserved in an urn, the physical body vanishes. They look forward to a new and perfect physical body that is given when the spirit and soul have been reunited with their besheret. On the day the besheret releases their intended's soul and spirit from the urn, it is believed, the couple become fused together by a spiritual bond and are considered a unity of one. They exchange vows declaring their eternal love, receive their new perfect eternal physical bodies, and are granted the power and wisdom of the gods."

"You haven't opened that have you?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"This? Oh no, I haven't even had a chance to examine it. It looks like the cover stone on this urn has been removed already," Daniel remarked.

"Oh, so the Genie has been let of out the bottle. There go our three wishes!" Jack joked.

"No- no. Just because the top cover stone has been removed doesn't mean this urn is empty; there is still a sealed cover inside this one. It's contents may still be intact, see?" Daniel held the urn up for Jack to observe for himself.

"That's okay, I don't want anything to do with dead Genies," Jack remarked, taking a step back.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Daniel said.

"Whose afraid? I'm just being 'cautious'. Don't forget, I'm the one who got his head stuffed with alien knowledge because I got too close to that…'head grabber' …thing," Jack grumbled. "Why don't you put that thing down now, Daniel," Jack suggested.

"Yes, well, we can't all be the adventurous type," Daniel shot back, carefully placing the urn back down on his desk.

"Hey! I'm just as adventurous as the next guy. How do you think I ever made it to 'General'?" Jack answered.

Daniel chose to remain silent. There are some questions better off not answered.

-10-

"Okay gang, are we all ready to begin this debriefing?" Jack asked looking from face to face of those seated at the conference table.

Somewhere in the middle of Major William's report on Neonan's political structure and defense weapons, Daniel's mind began to wander. Usually he found these debriefings fascinating. In fact, he rather enjoyed hearing details of alliances forming and trade negotiations, but today he felt _distracted_. Daniel's mind continued to drift back to his quarters… back to the urn sitting on his desk. He couldn't help but ponder on the whereabouts of the urn's missing cover stone_. There were so many artifacts to sort through in the cave, could the missing cover stone still be there? What happened to it? Had the besheret come to release its loved one's spirit and soul? Why remove only the outer cap of the urn and not the inner seal?_

"Sounds like things are going according to plan, Major Williams." The sound of Jack's stern voice brought Daniel back to the discussion at hand.

"Daniel, what great mysteries have you uncovered for us in the Neonan caverns?" Jack asked, staring at Daniel expectantly.

"Uh, well, sir, as you know, I've been working on deciphering the writings of the artifacts in the caves of Neona," Daniel began.

"Yes, Daniel. And what have you come up with?" Jack replied, attempting to hurry Daniel along on his report.

"Well. Without getting into a detailed explanation on the language history of ancient writings, suffice it to say that their tablets describe a detailed history of a group of people who mastered the ability to transcend their original human existence and achieve a higher form of life."

"You mean they have learned the secret to ascension? As in the 'Ascension of the Ancients'?" Jack queried.

"Well, yes, in a manner of speaking. From what I have deciphered, their records precisely document what appear to be the very beginnings of the people we refer to as The Ancients, specifically _The Ancients from planet Earth_. In fact, the records describe what I believe to be the preparation and execution of _the first globe-wide ascension_ of our planet's inhabitants. The Neonan's historical chronicles began with life on Earth continuing on up until the time of the great deluge during the time of Noah. After a massive exodus which takes place just before the flood, their documented history details their escape and settlement on their new home planet, Neona. General, these people not only have thorough directions of preparation for Ascension, but detailed sketches of the construction of a Stargate. I believe we have discovered the origins of Ascension and the Stargate," Daniel explained excitedly.

"This is ludicrous, General," Major Williams interjected. "I know my Bible history and nowhere do the scriptures allow for the theory of anyone outside Noah and his family surviving the world-wide flood. Why flood the Earth if all civilization escapes? No one but Noah and his family survive. Period. It's a given."

"I'm suggesting that Noah and his family may have been the only ones to actually survive the flood and REMAIN on Earth, but many others discovered a way of escape to Neona. General, I know about ascension, **_it's a given_**," Daniel said, throwing Major Williams a dirty look. "I believe it is not only possible, but likely that many people managed to ascend; and those who were not able to, escaped their demise by traveling through the Stargate to Neona."

"Interesting theory, Daniel," Jack commented.

"Don't tell me you are actually considering this nonsense!" Major Williams complained.

"Daniel, I assume you have evidence to back up what you say?" Jack said calmly.

"Yes, sir, I do. In fact, that urn I showed you may bear further evidence of an ascension process," Daniel replied. As the words tumbled out of his mouth, he regretted saying them. What was he thinking? How could he make such an assertion before finishing his work? He wasn't anywhere near completion yet and it was never wise to jump to conclusions so early in the game. Thinking back, he wondered how he could be so sure of it all. All he knew was that he was **_sure_** he was right.

"I thought those urns were merely for a 'wedding' process. Where does ascension come into this?" Jack asked.

"The spiritual joining of two people is just part and parcel of the package. In the end, when one receives their new eternal body and is granted the power and wisdom of the gods, it is implied that they will also have to power to ascend, among other things. Jack, think about it… the ability to receive the power and wisdom of the gods… **_before_** ascension… if this is true, it may be the very thing we've been looking for to battle against enemies such as the Goa'ulds and the Replicators. Wisdom _is_ power," Daniel explained, the excitement building within him.

"General…" Major Williams objected. "Doesn't anyone else around this table _see_ the contradiction here? If Almighty God, the one and only, sends a world-wide flood to Earth in order to destroy man and then man escapes the flood that God sends… why bother to build the ark and flood the Earth? Was it to _chase man_ _through the Stargate_? or _push them to ascension_? No, of course not! Mankind was _evil_, people! The fact is, God _hates_ evil, _judge_s and _punishes_ evil. Mankind was doing evil; judgment and destruction came with the flood wiping out all the rest of mankind. He did _not_ allow _anyone_ to escape the flood _except_ those who trusted in Him by boarding the ark."

"Major Williams, I'm not arguing about God's intent," Daniel answered, trying to stay calm. "I'm merely stating that the historical records on Neona suggest that much of mankind escaped the flood by traveling to Neona through the Stargate. Whether God allowed that because of His mercy, or took it as an opportunity to punish and judge the survivors on Neona, I can't say. The Stargate isn't mentioned in the Bible, but it does exist. Wouldn't it be beneficial to learn more about the origins of the Stargate and the people who built it? Surely there must be something we can learn from a people who have access to this kind of knowledge?"

"That's certainly reason enough to continue your work at the Neona caves," Jack stated. "Get back to me when you have something more," he instructed. "It looks like that wraps it up for now," he said ending the meeting.

"Hrumpf!" Major Williams grumbled, rising from his seat.

Daniel glanced around the room, watching everyone slowly exit the room, until he was alone with Jack.

"Thanks, Jack," Daniel said, patting his commanding officer on the arm.

"Sure thing. Just don't let the Genie out of the bottle," he warned.

-11-

Back in his quarters, Daniel sat at his desk sipping a cup of coffee, his eyes locked on the urn set before him. He needed to learn more about this urn. What did he really know about this smooth, brightly painted urn? It was a remarkable piece of art, if nothing else, Daniel observed.

The clay jar before him was in the form of what appeared to be a beautiful young woman dressed in a long flowing gown, reminiscent of an angel. Her lengthy red hair framed her delicate face. _If the soul within this jar looked anything like the image it portrayed, her flawless feminine beauty could incite men to battle over possessing her_, Daniel surmised. _What was it about this jar that affects me?_ he wondered. He sensed that he _already knew_ this woman. _How could that be?_

The large painted forest green eyes on the urn stared back at him. It was uncanny how they seemed alive and aware of his presence. "Tell me what secrets you've got hidden behind those tempting green eyes," he said to the jar.

"My-my, Dr. Jackson, you little devil. What do you want to know? I'll have no secrets from you. And my eyes… are blue… not green," Sam cooed into Daniel's ear.

"Oh!" Daniel shouted. Startled by her unexpected appearance, he jumped up out of his seat and nervously stepped away. "S-Sam, h-how long have you been standing there?" he asked, gripping the edge of the desk to steady himself.

"Only a few moments, Daniel. Why? What's wrong?" she asked, moving closer to him. She reached out and gently stroked his face.

"Um, nothing. Nothing's wrong, Sam." Daniel took a deep breath and stepped away.

Looking for a distraction, he picked up the engraved circular stone he had obtained from his first trip to the Neonan caves and began studying it. "What can I do for you?" he asked nonchalantly, keeping his eyes locked on the stone.

"I missed you," she answered shyly.

"You… uh.. missed me," Daniel repeated. He shifted his eyes back and forth, refusing to look directly at her. "Sam...we see each other every day."

"Yes Daniel. We often go out on missions together but these past few days you've been so busy on Neona that… Well, frankly Daniel, I miss your company. We work well together, don't we?" she asked.

Daniel HAD to address her face to face. "Well, Sam, I… uh… yes, we do work well together, but sometimes… uh…I mean… we sometimes have to work separately. We don't have control over that." Daniel took a deep breath.

"But, Daniel, I think it would be beneficial for everyone if we were to collaborate more. Don't you think?" Sam didn't bother to wait for an answer. "I think I'll have a talk with the General about it. I'm sure he won't object if you don't," Sam said, slipping her arms around Daniel's neck to draw him into a kiss.

"Uh- wait…!" Daniel ordered, politely refusing her advances by handing her the stone. "Why don't you give me a hand with these artifacts," Daniel suggested. _Maybe if I keep her attention on something besides me, she'll cool down, _Daniel reasoned.

"I thought you'd agree," she answered gleefully, but not before giving Daniel a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Daniel's face turned bright red. "Okay then…" he began.

Directing Sam's attention to the artifacts seemed to work, at least in the beginning. Daniel displayed the various artifacts before her, explaining what he had learned so far. She listened quietly, hanging on every word he said.

"Daniel, this urn… Do you have any idea who she is?" Sam asked, bending down to get a closer look.

"That's just it, Sam, I'm not sure…" Daniel answered uneasily. "I have nothing concrete…"

"But you have suspicions," Sam responded.

"I've been having dreams. Actually, I thought they were dreams, but I can't be sure."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well, I'm _never_ tired and I don't sleep… at least I don't remember going to sleep or waking up. It's more like I 'blackout' and have vague memories of what happened while I was out," Daniel explained.

"Have you told Janet about these black-outs?"

"No. Besides, she's run every test imaginable on me and has given me a clean bill of health. I really don't think there's anything else she could do…" Daniel stopped. He knew he was going to have to see Janet again.

"Daniel, if there is something else going on with you, you've got to get to the bottom of it. Tell me about your black-outs. Maybe I can help," Sam said, gently rubbing Daniel's back to help him relax.

Daniel sighed. "Sam, I dream of a beautiful, angelic woman with dazzling green eyes, and long red hair. She wears a flowing, sparkling white gown and bears the scent of lilacs. From the moment she arrives, I am captivated by her beauty and want nothing more than to... be with her. Her name is Tatarina and she calls me her besheret, rather her soul-mate, and asks me to release her so we may be together forever." Daniel blushed at the intimate details he was sharing with Sam.

"Release her? you mean, she's in this urn?" Sam asked, already knowing the answer.

Daniel nodded slowly. "The Neonan tablets speak of a process of Ascension. It describes the sealing of one's spirit and soul into an urn until the time when the soul-mate comes and releases them. Once released, the couple gains the wisdom and power of the gods, and is joined together eternally."

"Are you going to open the urn?" Sam asked, staring at it.

"I can't," Daniel replied, picking up the urn. "This belongs to the Neonans. I don't have the right to open it," he said sadly.

-12-

After more than an hour of tests in Dr. Frasier's office, Daniel was ready to go. He had been poked and prodded, more than he thought humanly possible. Surely, Dr. Frasier was through examining him by now.

"Can I get dressed _now_?" Daniel pleaded lying back on the infirmary's examination table sans everything but his boxer shorts.

"No, Daniel, I'm not through yet," Janet answered evenly, as she picked up his right foot and began examining his toes.

"Hey! That _tickles_!" Daniel complained, yanking his foot out of the doctor's grasp.

"Daniel…" she answered with authority. "Let me finish," she commanded, calmly grabbing his foot and carefully placing it back down in front of her. "I'll try not to tickle," she added, smiling.

"How can examining my toes possibly tell you anything about my black-outs?" Daniel demanded.

"Daniel, there are medical conditions that effect... Oh, never mind," she said, returning her attention to his toes.

Daniel closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. He could barely stand her ticklish touch.

"Hello?" Jack's voice rang out.

"Hi General O'Neill, in here," Janet called.

"Nice boxers, Daniel," Jack said, upon entering the room.

"Thanks, Jack." Just what Daniel needed, an audience for his torture session. "You want a turn?" he offered.

"No, thanks. I've had more than my share," Jack answered.

"What can I do for you, General?" Janet asked, removing the latex gloves from her hands.

"Carter mentioned that Daniel's been suffering from black-outs. Have you found anything?"

"I'm just finishing up my exam right now, let me get the lab results," she said exiting the area.

"Can I put my clothes back on _NOW_?" shouted Daniel.

No answer. Dr. Frasier had left the room already.

"Daniel, I'm ordering you restricted to base until the black-outs cease," Jack ordered.

"But Jack… there are still so many more artifacts in the caves to examine!" Daniel retorted.

"Are you refusing to obey an order Dr. Jackson?" Jack asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"No, sir."

"General," Janet began, upon returning. "I've got the results."

Daniel sat up.

"All the results confirm that Daniel is in the best of health. The results are consistent with the past two exams I have conducted. In fact, they are identical," Janet informed.

"So…?" Daniel asked, wondering why this is a concern.

"It is not normal for every test to show identical results. Day to day, moment to moment our blood pressure, sugar levels, body chemistry changes. Sometimes more so than others, but the fact is, this should be reflected in tests that are conducted at different times of the day, but in Daniel's case… this isn't true. His vitals are not only good, their optimal. What's more, the results don't reflect even the slightest change."

"That's good, isn't it?" Jack asked.

"Look at it this way, it's as if he were a car operating on a full tank of gas… no matter how far he drives without a refill, his gage continually reflects a full tank of gas. Daniel, when was the last time you ate anything?" Janet asked.

"Uh… I don't remember. I haven't been hungry. I drank a cup of coffee before though," Daniel answered. "But, it isn't unusual for me to skip meals or go without sleep when I'm working on a project."

"You haven't had any sleep either," Janet reminded him. "You said so before."

"You haven't eaten or slept since when?" Jack asked in wonder.

Daniel shrugged, "I remember trying to sleep the night we came back from the first expedition at Neona. Remember? We had been gone for a straight 48 hour tour."

"Yes, I had to _order_ you to get some rest. You were so insistent about getting to work on the artifacts you brought back," Janet explained. "Didn't you go to sleep then?"

"I remember trying to fall asleep… I just couldn't… but nine hours later I 'came to' with you banging at my door," Daniel remembered.

"Yes, I remember that… you were all disoriented when you opened the door. You couldn't find your glasses and then when you did…" Jack turned to Janet. "Didn't you examine him then?"

"Yes, I did. I didn't find anything wrong. It did look suspicious for his eyesight to be 20/20, but I'm trained to look for abnormalities that something is wrong, not question why a patient is complaining of good health," Janet explained.

"So… where does this bring us?" Jack asked.

"As I was saying, Daniel is in perfect health. Too perfect. I ran additional tests and found that there is one abnormality that I have never seen before. His pheromone level was off-the-chart," Janet answered.

"Pheromones?" Jack looked at Daniel and then to Janet.

"Pheromones are naturally occurring substances the body excretes to trigger a sexual response from the opposite sex, you might say it is an invitation to mate," Janet answered.

"Daniel?" Jack's eyes widened. "How?"

"We don't know, sir," Janet answered, blushing.

"Is it true? Do you… er… _feel _anything?" Jack asked Janet.

Daniel's gaze fell to the floor, where he took a sudden interest in its construction.

"Uh, sir, I-I believe the results are accurate," Janet answered, turning away.

"I see." Jack glanced at his two colleagues. "Any idea on the cause of his black-outs?" he asked.

"No sir, perhaps if we were to keep him under supervision 24 hours a day, we might observe what happens when Daniel black's-out," Janet suggested.

"Oh-no… I'm not staying here around the clock indefinitely!" Daniel argued.

"Perhaps we can place surveillance cameras in his quarters," Jack suggested.

"As long as he remains restricted to his quarters and the cameras are manned," Janet answered.

"Restricted? Watched?" Daniel said in disbelief.

"You got a problem with that Dr. Jackson?" Jack asked firmly.

"Uh, no sir. I suppose not," Daniel answered quietly. "Can I get dressed now?"

-13-

Daniel paced the floor in his room. Back and forth. Forth and back. Normally he wouldn't think twice about spending hours focused on studying artifacts holed away in his quarters. He usually looked forward to some uninterrupted time for research. But now, now that he was _restricted _to his quarters, he felt locked in, caged like a wild animal.

He looked at his watch. _What time was it? How long had it been? Only 15 minutes! _

Daniel sighed.

They had let him go to the commissary for a quick meal, but Daniel couldn't eat a bite. He just wasn't hungry. The best he could do was grab a cup of coffee. He nursed it, relishing every sip knowing that when he was done, he would be condemned to isolation for who knows how long. The room was abuzz around him, but he ignored the others, concentrating on the steam rising above his cup. He was sure they would be done installing the cameras in his room by the time he finished his coffee. He probably should have taken the time to chat with some of the others knowing he was condemned to spend eternity alone, but he just didn't feel up to it. _What happened to that wonderful feeling of exuberance? _he wondered. He was beginning to feel tired.

"Daniel?" a voice drew him out of his thoughts, bringing him back to reality.

"Sam? Is that you?" he asked, waiting for the guard outside his door to permit Sam to enter.

"Hi Daniel. How are you doing?" Sam asked with concern, as she entered. "Jack filled me in on all the details."

"I'm okay. At least this gives me some time to study these artifacts," he said trying to sound cheerful.

"Well, let's get started," she said, taking a seat.

"Is that why you're here?" Daniel asked.

"Look, I said I'd help. Would you rather do something else?" she asked, winking at him.

"Uh-no… working on the artifacts is good," he answered quickly.

"How about we get back to this urn?" Sam suggested.

"We can't open it, you know," he warned.

Sam shrugged. "That isn't the only way to find out what's inside, you know," Sam reminded him.

"I don't know…" Daniel answered doubtfully. He knew she was dying to x-ray, run chemical tests, and analyze every atom of this urn until there was nothing else to know about it.

"I can take it to the lab and…" Sam began, assuming Daniel would agree with her suggestion.

"I don't know what effect x-rays or other chemicals would have on the contents of the urn," he said worriedly. "If there is a soul inside…"

"Daniel, did the Neonans agree to let you study their artifacts or not?" Sam demanded.

"Well…. yes, but…" Daniel stammered.

"Okay then," she said reaching over to the circular stone and placing it carefully on top of the urn.

"What are you doing?" Daniel asked.

"Isn't this the lid for the urn?" she replied.

Daniel's eyes narrowed, as he considered the possibility. Looking closer, he realized that the circular stone did indeed fit the top of the urn.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"What do you mean, aren't these pieces part of the urn?" she asked, picking up the small palm-sized jade stone.

"I didn't… I mean… They weren't attached to the urn when I brought them here," Daniel explained.

"Oh."

"But it does look like this piece is the cover stone for this urn…" Daniel answered. "I would really need to get a closer look at another urn to compare its cover stone with this one," he said thoughtfully.

"You can't if you're stuck here," Sam replied, studying the green stone she held in her hand. "This is a beautiful stone, do you recognize its markings?"

"Let me see, I haven't looked at that one yet," he said, taking the stone from her.

Sam gently removed the cover stone from the urn and turned it over. "Look at the pocket carved into the back of this stone," she said.

Daniel looked up from the stone to see to what she was referring. It was the same size and shape of the stone he was holding in his hand.

"The markings on this stone symbolize life, marriage, and death. This symbol represents two lovers together; the symbol beneath it represents the Hebrew word 'besheret' meaning 'soul-mate'. It could very well be related to an urn," he explained. He gently laid the stone into the pocket of the urn's cover stone.

Immediately the green stone began to vibrate and the cover stone began to glow.

Daniel and Sam watched in fascination.

"Daniel, if you're not going to open that thing then I'm going to take it back to my lab and run some tests on that urn," Sam informed.

"No! Don't touch the urn," Daniel warned. "We can't do that. It's like desecrating a grave," Daniel explained, carefully replacing the glowing cover stone on top of the urn.

"Something's going on with that urn. The smart thing to do would be to examine it under controlled conditions and determine if it is safe to open," Sam suggested.

"You can't take the urn."

"What? Why not?" Sam asked.

"You can't experiment on it like it's a piece of Naquadah or something," Daniel argued.

"How about if I take the cover stone?" Sam suggested.

"No. We don't know the relationship between the two," Daniel answered adamantly.

"But Daniel, the cover stone has already been removed…" Sam said, reaching over to take the cover stone from the urn.

"Ow!" Sam shouted, retracting her hands quickly. "That stone is **_hot!_**" Sam held out her hands. The tips of her fingers were red and beginning to blister.

Daniel stared at her hands, "But it wasn't hot when I picked it up…" he said. He reached out and tentatively touched the stone. It wasn't warm at all, in fact, he thought it was cool to the touch. He laid his hand on the top of the stone and looked back at Sam.

"Sam?"

Sam reached toward the stone, as she drew near she could feel the heat emanating from the stone. "I feel the heat," she said, "Don't you feel it?"

"No. It's not the least bit hot," he said, holding his hand flat on the top of the cover stone.


	3. Chapters 14 to 18

-14- 

Sam was reluctant to leave Daniel so quickly, but her burnt fingers were sore and she desperately wanted to put some cool salve on them to stop the burning sensation.

"Hi Janet," Sam called out as she entered the infirmary.

"Oh, hi Sam," Janet replied, smiling warmly.

"I just need some salve for my fingers," Sam explained, holding up her hands.

"Oh Sam, what happened? How did you burn them?" Janet asked, reaching for the ointment.

"Janet, it's the weirdest thing. It was one of Daniel's artifacts from Neona," Sam said, gently rubbing the cream on her fingertips.

"Oh? Does Daniel require some medical attention?" Janet asked, looking concerned.

"Oh, no. He's fine," Sam replied. The salve was beginning to work and the burning sensation was quickly dissipating. "That's what's so weird," she explained. "It's this cover stone to an urn he picked up in one of the caves. It's burning hot to my touch, but not his. There must be some kind of protective mechanism. I wish I could get that urn into my lab for some tests."

"Sounds like a good idea, what's the problem?" Janet asked, wrapping bandages around Sam's burnt fingers.

"Well, aside from the fact that I'm not able to touch it," Sam answered, "Daniel refuses to let me. He feels the urn is some kind of sacred object and is very protective of it. I just wish I could get some answers. Any ideas?"

"Well Sam, it seems to me that if Daniel doesn't have the answers and won't let you examine the artifact yourself, you're going to have to ask the Neonans themselves or someone else who is familiar with the Neonan's artifacts," Janet answered, returning the tube of salve back to its proper place. "Maybe the Asgard or the Tok'ra have some information about the people on this planet."

"Hmmm, thanks Janet, I don't know why I didn't think of that," Sam replied.

"I think we're all a little off these days," Janet answered. "And I don't think the effects of Daniel's raging pheromones are helping things any."

"I know what you mean," Sam replied. She was fully aware of the physical effect Daniel's presence was having on her. "I'm trying to control myself, but it isn't easy. How are you handling it?" Sam asked.

"Here," Janet said, handing her a vial of pills. "These pills will help desensitize your nasal receptors and reduce your sense of smell. Daniel will have no more effect on you than say… General O'Neill."

"Thanks." Sam slipped the vial into her pocket and headed out the door, smiling.

-15-

Since Sam had left to get some salve for her fingers, Daniel was left alone, once again, in his quarters. Staring at the urn and its glowing cover stone, his mind filled with questions _Why was the cover stone hot to Sam's touch, but not my own? Is there some connection between the urn and me? Is this proof that I am indeed the true besheret?_

Suddenly the glowing cover stone began to flash. First slowly and then more rapidly.

Daniel stood up and backed away, keeping his eyes on the urn and it's flashing lid.

"Daniel, my besheret," Tatarina called.

The strong scent of lilac's filled the room.

"Tatarina?" he asked, turning around.

Tatarina was standing directly behind him. She threw her arms around his neck and greeted him with a long passionate kiss.

Daniel responded in kind, his thoughts dissipating, leaving him with nothing but raw passion and desire for her.

Observation Room.

General O'Neill had posted two members from the SG-19 Team, Aaron Emery and Jesse Jacobson, to monitor the cameras in Daniel's quarters from the observation room. The two men were discussing their recent off world trip to PX-3885 when Jacobson glanced at the wall of surveillance monitors in front of them.

"Hey, Emery! What's Jackson doing?" Jacobson asked.

"Never mind Jackson, who's the girl?" Emery replied.

Both men stared at the scene unfolding on the monitors before them. From three different angles, the men had full view of Daniel in the arms of a gorgeous red-haired woman. The couple was clearly oblivious to the fact that the cameras mounted on the walls in Daniel's room were capturing their amorous behavior.

Mesmerized by the scene before them, both men stared speechlessly at the screens.

Daniel's quarters

"Daniel, my beloved besheret," Tatarina whispered into his ear between kisses.

Daniel, breathless, responded to her words in the only way he was physically capable of: with deep moans and groans of desire.

"Daniel," Tatarina repeated in an insistent tone of voice, pulling away.

"Noooo…" Daniel cried, as she ripped herself from his grasp.

"Daniel, I think you do not truly love me," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"No-no, I do love you, Tatarina, my love. I love you with all my soul," he answered reaching out for her.

"Then why haven't you released my neshama from the urn?" she demanded.

"I-I can't," Daniel admitted sorrowfully, dropping down to his knees on the floor. "I don't have the authority to… the urn belongs to the Neonans."

"Nonsense, Daniel!" she shouted. "It is my urn, my neshama, I command you to break the second seal of the urn and release me! It is our destiny. It is the only way we can be together. Don't you want to spend eternity with me?" she asked.

"I love you with all my heart and would like nothing more than to spend eternity with you, but I cannot do as you ask," Daniel confessed. "I cannot do what I please with that I do not own."

"You must find a way or we have no future. I don't have much time, Daniel," Tatarina argued.

"I will see what I can do to release your soul, but I will not presume on the trust the Neonans have shown me, to do it," Daniel insisted.

Tatarina moved closer and gently ran her fingers through his hair. "My besheret, have you not noticed that you grow tired and hungry? Do you not feel the loneliness and sadness when I am not with you?"

"Yes, my body is growing weary and my hunger for food has returned. Tatarina, my love, I am lonely, even now, without you in my arms," Daniel answered, feeling the desperate need to touch her and hold her in his arms.

"Daniel, you do not have the gift of vitality you received when you broke the first seal of the jar. It was only meant to last a short time; meant to be merely a glimpse of the promise of the eternal vitality you will have when I am released and we are joined together. Do you desire this?" Tatarina asked, lightly pressing her lips against his forehead.

Daniel reached up and pulled her face to his, locking his lips firmly against hers. He put every bit of his passion into this kiss to show her his desire.

"Yes, Daniel, I believe you do," she whispered into his ear as the intensity of the kiss faded and they broke apart.

Observation Room

"Who IS she?" Emery asked Jacobson. "And how did she get in here?"

"We better alert General O'Neill," Jacobson replied, reaching for the phone, keeping his eyes glued on Jackson and his visitor.

"General O'Neill, there's an unauthorized visitor in Dr. Jackson's quarters," Jacobson said into the phone.

"Keep an eye on the situation and notify me of any changes. I'm on my way. Alert the guards to detain the intruder if he should try to leave," Jack commanded.

"She, sir," Jacobson replied.

"What?" Jack asked.

"The intruder is a 'she' sir, not a 'he'," Jacobson answered.

"Oh. Well, don't let HER leave the base without seeing me. That's an order," Jack replied.

"Yes, sir. I mean, yes, General."

Daniel's quarters

Daniel pulled Tatarina closer, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"Daniel, I must go," Tatarina said sadly, "but there is one thing I must tell you," Tatarina said.

Daniel looked into her loving eyes and waited for her to continue.

"Do not return my urn to the caves. You must break the second seal on the urn and release me. You need not worry about the Neonans. They will make a gift of this urn to you when you tell them of your desire for me. Do this and you will pass the second test."

"Second test?" Daniel asked, confused.

"Yes. The second test is one of integrity. Strength of character, steadfast, and true you will be to me, if you are to you," Tatarina explained.

Outside Daniel's quarters

As Jack approached Daniel's quarters, he tried to prepare himself for whatever he may find. He didn't have much to go on; Daniel had a girl in his room, an _unauthorized_ girl. Why did he feel like a parent expecting to catch his own teen-aged son messing around with a girl? Could this just be some sort of a mix-up and Daniel's in there with some female SG team member discussing the complexities of ancient languages? Nah.

"Step aside, men," Jack commanded. It's nice being the General. _Everyone has to do what I say. _ Jack hid his brief smile.

"Oh, Daniel…" Jack called as he opened the door.

Daniel's quarters were completely dark.

Jack snapped on the lights.

No one was in the room except Daniel, who was fast asleep in bed.

"Daniel?" Jack asked, poking him.

"Five more minutes…" Daniel mumbled sleepily.

"Daniel!" Jack said loudly.

Daniel snapped his head up. "Huh?" He sat up, automatically reaching for his glasses and put them on.

"Jack? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?" Daniel tried to focus.

"Where is she?" Jack demanded.

"She?" Daniel looked around the room.

"The girl," Jack explained. "The girl that was in your room tonight."

"Girl in my room?" Daniel looked at Jack as if he had three heads. "Ohhhhh, you mean Sam. She was here for a short visit, but she had to leave. She's probably in her lab."

Daniel removed his glasses and slid back down into bed. "I'm really beat…" he mumbled.

Jack exchanged curious looks with the guards. "Let's go," he commanded.

-16-

"We searched the entire base as you requested, sir," Colonel Thomas announced.

Jack looked up at the Colonel, expectantly awaiting an answer.

"No signs of an intruder, sir," Thomas reported.

"Thank you, Colonel. Return to your duties and report back if anything comes up," Jack ordered.

"Yes, General," Colonel Thomas saluted and left the General's office.

_What's going on here?_ Jack wondered.

"Excuse me, sir. Got a moment?" Sam asked, waiting at the doorstep to Jack's office.

"Sure, Carter. Come on in. Have a seat," he said warmly.

"Thank you, sir," Sam replied, taking a seat across the desk from Jack.

"What's on your mind?" Jack asked smiling.

"Well, sir, it's about Daniel," Sam explained.

"What about Daniel, Carter?"

"I was with him in his quarters, earlier," Sam began.

"So, I've heard," Jack commented.

"Sir?"

"Sorry, please continue."

"As I was saying, I was with Daniel earlier this evening," Sam continued. "He showed me the artifacts he had brought back from the Neonan caves."

Jack placed his hands together with only the fingertips touching, as he listened.

"There's this urn, sir. There's something _odd_ about it. I want to examine it in my lab: run some chemical tests and x-ray it to determine what it's made of and what's inside," Sam explained.

"You're talking about that urn shaped in the form of a woman, right?" Jack asked.

"Yes, sir. I think it's affecting Daniel and I think it warrants the attention."

"What's the hold-up?"

"It's Daniel. He's very protective of it. He believes there is a life entity of some sort encased in this urn and is afraid tests could harm or damage its contents," Sam explained.

"Can these tests cause any harm to anything inside the urn?" Jack asked.

"Without knowledge of what is actually inside the urn, there's no way of knowing that for sure, sir," Sam answered.

"So, you run the risk of harming the contents of the urn by trying to determine what the contents of the urn are …" Jack responded. "How ironic."

"Yes sir."

"Daniel is the authority on these artifacts, sir. I don't think he's thinking with a clear head and there is a distinct possibility that the urn is the cause of it," Sam continued. "The urn may be the cause of Daniel's black-outs and hallucinations."

"Carter, I want that urn removed from Daniel's quarters. If there is any possibility that it is affecting Daniel, then we need to quarantine it."

"Sir, it may not be as easy as all that. I tried to pick up the cover stone of the urn and burned my fingers." Sam held up her bandaged hands. "I think there is a protective mechanism that prevents anyone, but Daniel from handling it."

"You burned your fingers on a jar of ancient pottery?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"It isn't what it seems, sir."

"And it didn't burn Daniel's fingers…" Jack said.

"No, sir." Sam shook her head.

"Then we'll just have Daniel move the thing to a secure …"

"No sir, that won't work. Daniel is very protective of it. He won't allow it. He insists that the urn, as property of the Neonans, must not be tampered with," Sam explained.

"Then, maybe we should just return the thing to the Neonans…"

"No, sir. I'm afraid that won't solve anything. We need to know what danger this urn is to us. If it affects Daniel this way, it could affect the rest of us. We need to know what is in this urn," Sam said firmly.

"The Neonans have demonstrated that they are a generous, amicable group of people. They've been forthright and eager to build an alliance. I don't see why we can't just ask them if they'll agree to let us run some tests on the urn, and, if necessary, open it," Jack suggested.

"And what if they don't?" Sam asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Jack replied.

"What do we do about the urn in the mean time? I don't think Daniel should go near it, until we know more about it."

"If we can't move the urn, then we'll move Daniel. I'll quarantine his quarters and move him out of there until we can get to the bottom of this."

"Yes, sir," Sam answered.

Sam rose from her seat to leave.

"Sir?" she asked, hesitantly

"Yes, Carter?"

"I'd like to contact my dad. Maybe the Tok'ra have encountered the Neonans and have something to share. It wouldn't hurt," Sam suggested.

"That would be fine. I think I'll give my buddy, Thor a call. I haven't heard from him in a while," Jack replied, smiling.

-17-

"Daniel Jackson, I have been asked to escort you to your physical examination with Dr. Frasier," Teal'c said calmly.

"_Another_ examination?" Daniel rolled his eyes and groaned. "By whose request? Dr. Frasier?" he asked.

"That would be General O'Neill," Teal'c answered, entering Daniel's room.

"I haven't even had my morning coffee yet," Daniel complained, putting on his shoes. _I sure hope Janet doesn't need to inspect my toes again, _he thought.

"Can we stop at the commissary for a bite to eat first?" Daniel asked, hoping to delay the inevitable.

"I'm afraid not. My instructions were to bring you directly to Dr. Frasier."

"Of course," Daniel shot-back. His stomach began to growl, which only put him in a crankier mood than he already was. "Let's get it over with then," Daniel said, heading out the door.

To Daniel's dismay, he and Teal'c arrived at the infirmary only moments later.

"I'll wait for you right here, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said.

"Why? Don't they trust me to make it back to my room by myself?" Daniel asked, annoyed.

"You are not going to your room after the examination. I have been instructed to take you directly to the Conference Room for a meeting with General O'Neill," Teal'c informed.

"What for? A meeting about what?" Daniel was aggravated.

"I have not been informed as to the details of this meeting. I do know that Doctor Frasier, and Colonel Carter will be in attendance as well."

"Fine," Daniel agreed reluctantly.

"Dr. Jackson, my favorite patient," Janet greeted. "Hello Teal'c, good morning."

"Good morning, Dr. Frasier," Teal'c answered.

"Okay, we've got a lot to do today; might as well get started. You know the routine, Daniel, please remove your clothes," Janet ordered.

Daniel sighed and began to disrobe.

-18-

Sam was the last one to enter the conference room. Jack, Teal'c, Janet, and Daniel had already arrived and were waiting for her.

"Sorry I'm late. I've been trying to reach the Tok'ra," Sam said.

"Any luck?" Jack asked.

"None, sir," Sam answered.

"Well, keep trying. I'm sure you'll get through eventually," Jack replied.

"Excuse me, but if you don't mind my asking… what is this meeting supposed to be about?" Daniel asked.

It wasn't that he wasn't grateful to be out of the confines of his room, but he couldn't help feeling that everyone knew what this was about, but him!

"Just doing a little follow up on a few things, Daniel," Jack replied. "How've you been feeling? Any more black-outs?" he asked earnestly.

"I'm feeling fine. Actually, I'm a bit hungry since I haven't eaten breakfast yet this morning. Had a good night's sleep and feeling fine. Thanks for asking," Daniel answered.

"Hunger… that's a good sign. Sleeping again… that's good too. What about the black-outs?" Jack asked, leaning forward.

"Black-outs… I don't think I've had any more… I mean I slept last night… I woke up this morning…" Daniel explained.

"Interesting." Jack turned his attention to Janet. "What's the good doctor have to say about Dr. Jackson's state of health?"

"I ran a full battery of tests, did a complete and thorough exam, and compared the results to the previous ones. The results indicate that Daniel's body has returned to his previous 'normal' condition. Blood pressure is up a bit, his weight is down, body temperature is normal, blood sugars are down…"

"Doctor…?" Jack narrowed his eyes at her. "How about a more general 'overview'?

"Yes sir, the most significant change is the drop in his pheromone levels. I'd say after eating a full, but _well-balanced and healthy_ breakfast, Daniel should be his old self," Janet smiled at Daniel before returning her attention to Jack.

Daniel sighed with relief. "Does that mean no more physical exams?"

"Well, I don't know about that, a follow-up or two might be a good idea to insure that your body systems have leveled out," Janet advised.

"I must say that sounds very good, but I'm not entirely convinced that this thing is completely out of his system," Jack commented.

"What? Wait a minute…" Daniel objected.

"Let me ask you a question, Daniel," Jack interrupted.

"Okay," Daniel answered with an edge to his voice. He couldn't believe where this was going.

"Daniel, who was that woman you were with in your room last night?" Jack asked in a sarcastic tone of voice.

Daniel froze. _Woman in my room? _He knew he had to get this one right or he'd become a permanent fixture in Dr. Frasier's infirmary.

"Well?" Jack asked, looking expectantly at Daniel.

"What makes you think I had a woman in my room?" Daniel asked, stalling for time. _Who in the world could he be referring to? I remember Sam coming to the room, but the look on Jack's face says it's not her. _

"Are you telling me you don't remember?" Jack persisted.

"Um, wait a minute," Daniel began frantically to search his mind. Was there a woman he didn't remember? How would Jack know this?

"Perhaps, this will refresh your memory," Jack replied. He pressed the button that turned on the large video screen and began to play the recording of Daniel and Tatarina in Daniel's room.

Daniel's jaw dropped in amazement as he watched Tatarina move about his room. They flew together as reunited lovers who had been separated for far too long. Daniel and the others watched as the couple on the screen exchanged a series of passionate, heated kisses, growing more forceful and fervent with each embrace.

"Tatarina…" Daniel said aloud.

"I'm glad to see you're well acquainted with this young woman. Do you mind telling me who she is?" Jack asked.

"I-I don't know where to begin…" Daniel stuttered staring at the screen, watching the amorous exchange that had eluded his memory.

"You don't remember this do you?" Sam asked Daniel.

"It's really weird…My memory of this has a dreamlike quality in my mind. I haven't forgotten… it's more like a fading away," Daniel explained.

Daniel's jaw dropped as he watched the video of himself in the throws of passion with Tatarina. Growing uncomfortable with his colleagues watching, he looked away.

Jack stopped the video. "Who is Tatarina?" he asked gently.

"Don't worry, Daniel, it was never meant to be a secret," Tatarina's melodic voice whispered in his ear. Her soft lips pressed firmly against his cheek. The room began to fill with the strong scent of lilacs.


	4. Chapters 19 to 22

-19- 

The sudden appearance of Tatarina startled everyone, but Daniel. Jack, Sam, and Teal'c pulled their weapons, pointing them directly at Tatarina.

"It's okay!" Daniel shouted, jumping in front of Tatarina, to protect her.

"Hold your fire!" Jack ordered. "Daniel, want to step away from the lady please?" he urged.

"Jack, Sam, Teal'c, Janet, this is Tatarina…. Tatarina, meet Jack, Sam, Teal'c, and Janet, my associates," Daniel explained.

Tatarina smiled sweetly and stepped toward with Jack her hand extended.

"It's okay everyone. Really," Daniel said calmly.

"Is this not the same woman from the video tape?" Teal'c asked.

"Uh, yes, Teal'c," Daniel briefly looked down at his feet.

"Exactly who are you and what do you want?" Jack asked, lowering his gun, but keeping it out. He ignored Tatarina's hand.

"It's okay, Jack," Tatarina said calmly. "I thought it was time we should all meet. Why don't we all have a seat?" she suggested.

Jack nodded to the others indicating that they should all settle down. He knew they were as suspicious as he was.

"You'll have to forgive us if we don't appear very hospitable; we're not accustomed to receiving unannounced visitors who appear out of thin air," Jack said firmly. "Uhhh… at least ones _we don't know_," he corrected, thinking of the few times Thor had materialized in his presence unannounced.

"Yes, well, I think it's just a matter of getting to know you, Tatarina," Daniel explained, putting his arm protectively around her.

Daniel turned to address the others. "Tatarina is an Ancient Neonan or was an Ancient Neonan," he began. Daniel wasn't sure which tense would be more accurate. "In any case, she is my besheret. Besheret is the Hebrew word for soul-mate."

"Hebrew?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"Yes, according to the Biblical time-line, the pre-flood civilizations on Earth all spoke a form of ancient Hebrew. This was about 100 years before the Tower of Babel when God confused the language of man creating a multilingual society…"

"Okay!" Jack shouted. "Let's get back to Tatarina, shall we?"

"Maybe it would be better if I explain," Tatarina suggested.

"Please do," Jack moaned.

Daniel's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to object, but closed it quickly thinking better of it. _Perhaps it would be best if Tatarina did explain things. Then they'll see her for the gentle, caring person she is, _he decided

Daniel smiled as he turned his full attention to his lovely besheret.

"As Daniel said, I am an Ancient Neonan. It would be more precise to say that I am a former resident of Earth. I can't call myself an Earthling because I haven't been to my place of birth since the time of Noah.

"I understand from Daniel that many Tau'ri are unfamiliar with the advanced technology of the time. We had great houses built of marble with many rooms, running water and electricity, similar to what you have here today. Our technology though was far beyond what you have here. The Stargate is an example of the level of technology we had reached. We had developed _several_ ways to travel through the galaxies to other planets. We had also developed means of moving into the Earth, to Earth's center and beyond. Imagine travel to the other side of the Earth directly through the Earth, having access to pools of water buried many kilometers deep beneath the surface. We learned to move through physical objects, levitate ourselves or other items, manipulate weather conditions, and eliminate illness improving our health.

"But with all that technology, when the flood waters began to rise, we had little time to evacuate Earth. Some traveled through the Stargate, others used our spacecrafts, and those who couldn't make it drowned in the flood.

"Those who were able to relocate to Neona found that they had arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs. We too, had to begin from scratch, as did Noah after the flood. Neona is a planet that is very similar to Earth; however, the food wasn't as abundant. We were faced with finding a solution to preserve our race. Our solution was to use the process of Ascension as a means of preserving life. Many Neonans agreed to have their essence preserved in an urn awaiting the awakening by their chosen one in the future when food would be more plentiful. I am one who has been waiting for my besheret. He has broken the first seal on my urn. Now he must open the other so my soul will be released and we can be together."

Tatarina smiled at Daniel and took hold of his hand. He winked at her and smiled back.

"But, if you're in the urn, how is it that you can be here too?" Sam asked.

"The first seal releases my spirit. I have limited time that I can take physical form before I am called back to the urn. My soul is encased beneath the second seal," Tatarina explained.

"Forgive me, but what you say is truly mind-boggling," Janet began. "If you can ascend, why don't you? why wait for a besheret?"

"We believe that God created Eve for Adam. God says "_it is not good that man should be alone._" That means for all eternity; as long as the soul shall live. My eternity is meant to be shared with Daniel."

Tatarina glanced fondly at Daniel and began her plea, "Please, I have little time… Are the Neonan ways so foreign to you that you would deny me this request? Daniel must break the second seal on my urn. He is the only one who can; he _is_ my chosen one, my _besheret_.

"Please… once he does that, my soul with be free and Daniel and I will be granted the wisdom and power of the gods. We can choose to remain in perfect physical form here on Earth, if Daniel desires; or, we can ascend to the next level together. Either way, I promise, I will share my knowledge with you," she begged.

"Daniel, you know what needs to be done, please don't keep me waiting," she whispered into his ear. "I must go now…" Tatarina disappeared as quickly as she had arrived.

Stunned faces exchanged looks around the table.

"Daniel, you don't really believe this stuff do you?" Jack asked.

"Everything she said is backed up by the Neonan tablets," Daniel answered. "There must be thousands of urns in the caves waiting to be woken up and released. It all fits, Jack, it makes perfect sense. Don't you see?"

"What I don't see is, how you're the only one who can open her urn? You don't even know this… woman! Can't you date her a while and see how it goes?" Jack suggested.

"This isn't all that uncommon with the ancient civilizations. There was a time where all marriages were pre-arranged and many couples didn't meet until the wedding. In fact, the first glimpse of the bride was at the 'unveiling' after the wedding ceremony…" Daniel explained.

"Daniel, I'm not talking ancient civilizations, I'm talking you… here…now!" Jack replied.

"Jack, I love her. I can't explain it. I don't need time to date her. I won't waste time and lose her like I lost…" Daniel stopped.

"Sha're?" Jack finished his sentence for him. "This is all about Sha're isn't it? You couldn't save her and now you feel bound and determined to save Tatarina."

"I need to speak with the Neonan leader. May I?" Daniel asked, with a look of determination on his face.

"No!" Jack argued.

"Am I still restricted to the base, then?" Daniel asked.

Jack hesistated.

"Well, we KNOW I'm not hallucinating, Janet has already said I'm back to normal. What more do you need?" Daniel insisted.

"Okay, okay, but I'm coming with you. I've got a few questions for the Neonans myself," Jack conceded.

"Sir, may I come along? I'd like to ask about the process of ascension as it relates to the urn. It could be helpful," Sam suggested.

"I agree," Jack nodded.

"General O'Neill, I'm not sure this Tatarina is trustworthy. I have seen the false gods lie and deceive many. We do not know the Neonans very well. I suggest you take caution in your dealings with them," Teal'c warned.

"I will. You're coming, Teal'c" Jack answered, smiling.

-20-

"Off to see the wizard…" sang Jack, as he led the group onto the ramp of the Stargate.

Daniel chuckled to himself. He sensed that Jack was thrilled to have an excuse to travel through the Stargate again. He knew Jack missed the thrill of off world exploration and must regret, on some level, accepting the promotion to General.

They walked up the ramp and stepped into the event horizon of the Stargate. Moments later, Jack, Teal'c, Sam, and Daniel arrived at their destination, the planet Neona.

The Stargate and DHD were located in the center of a beautiful park. Blooming flowers of many colors, assorted fruit trees, and flourishing green plants filled the countryside. A sinuous stone path of glistening gold lay before them. It appeared to lead to the city nearby.

Jack shot Daniel a look of surprise. "This must be the yellow brick road," he commented raising an eyebrow.

"Gold and silver are commonly found ores on Neona," Daniel explained.

"I don't suppose the name of the city is 'Emerald'?" Jack asked.

"No, but they do have many emeralds and other precious gemstones like rubies, diamonds, and pearls here. What we consider rare and valuable, they have in abundance.

"The city is called 'Galut'. It means 'exile or captivity'," Daniel explained. "It was the site of their first settlement on this planet."

"I imagine it is a reference to the Neonan's forced exit by the flood," Teal'c commented.

"If they have all this, what must they want from us?" Sam asked, marveling at the stones of gold she was walking on.

"Major Williams has been the liaison between the Neonans and Earth," Jack answered. "From what Williams reports, the Neonans are very generous in what they are willing to share; but as of yet, have failed to mention what they want in return."

"Perhaps they are unsure of what we have to offer. What is the status of their defense and weaponry systems?" Teal'c asked. "Their Stargate is unguarded and vulnerable to attack being such a distance from the city."

"Maybe that is part of their defense," Daniel suggested. "It might be part of their strategy to have their city built at a distance from the Stargate. This way, they have time to assemble their armies to defend against an attack."

"That's only good if they are monitoring the gate," Sam answered. "I don't see any kind of surveillance equipment or alarm system in place."

"Well, their city is built on a hill," Daniel replied. "So, they have the high ground advantage, even if they aren't alerted ahead of time."

"Or maybe their city is surrounded by a really high wall with two big metal doors," Jack commented.

"What?" Daniel asked, quizzically.

"Don't worry, I know what to do. We'll just knock on the doors, and when the man with the big furry hat and long mustache asks who we are and why we've come; I'll tell him our sad story of how we've come such a very long way. Daniel, have you any tissues for when he begins to cry uncontrollably? It's the only way we're gonna get in you know."

"And just where did you get this information?" Daniel asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I have my sources," Jack smiled.

As they turned to begin their walk into the city, a gleaming silver van pulled up alongside the small group. A tall thin, dark-haired man stepped out of the vehicle and introduced himself.

"Shalom!" the man called out in a cheerful manner. "My name is Emim."

"Shalom!" Daniel answered. "Shalom is the common greeting here," Daniel explained. "It is used to say hello, goodbye, and peace, but embodies much more. When someone greets you with 'Shalom', that person is proclaiming a blessing upon you. They are wishing you the best of all things such as health, prosperity, safety, and peace. Rather nice, don't ya think?"

"Oh yes, Daniel. Very nice. Sure beats the guy with the hat," Jack answered. "Shalom, Emim, I'm General Jack O'Neill, this is Colonel Samantha Carter, Teal'c, and you already know Daniel."

"Shalom," Teal'c and Sam answered in unison.

"General, we are most pleased to have you come for a visit. Please take a seat in this vehicle and we'll be off to the Ivory Tower," Emim explained.

"The Ivory Tower? I thought we were going to Galut," Jack said.

"The Ivory Tower is located in the center of Galut. You will be meeting with Representative Rephaim. He is most anxious to finally meet the leader of the Tau'ri," Emim replied.

"Oh, I'm not the leader of the Tau'ri," Jack answered, "But I am authorized to communicate on his behalf. Is Representative Rephaim the leader of Neona?"

"No. He is the second in command; the leader of Neona is unavailable presently. I hope that isn't a problem," Emim said nervously.

"Oh, no. Not a problem at all," Jack replied, glancing out the window at the passing scenery.

"Where are the caves, Daniel?" Sam asked. "Are they near the city?"

"The caves are located on the far edge of the city, in a more desolate area known as 'Keber'."

"Keber? What does that mean?" Sam asked.

"Keber is a Hebrew word that refers to a grave or burying place," Daniel answered.

"Is that where you bury your dead?" Sam asked Emim.

"Dead?" Emim reacted with shock and disgust.

"There isn't any dead," Daniel explained.

"We believe in ascension as the alternative to death," Emim explained. "The loss of life is unacceptable to us."

"But you can't always avoid death. I mean there's still accidental death… or death from illness…" Sam argued.

"Stop. Please," Emim begged.

His cheerfulness dissolved into solemnness. Everyone remained silent.

The vehicle came to a stop and the doors swung open automatically. Emim silently stepped out and waited for the group to join him.

As everyone climbed out of the van, Emim led the way to a very tall building made of pure ivory. It was a stunning sight. Images of flowers, trees, the moon, and the stars were carved in intricate patterns on the outside of the building.

"General, these buildings are remarkable," Sam said in awe, looking from one building to the next. "They're actually pieces of art in and of themselves!"

"That's correct Colonel Carter," Emim explained. "It is our philosophy that nothing need be reduced to mere functionality. The aesthetic value of the things in our environment is as equally important to us as their functionality. From the smallest crafting tool or eating utensil, to the tallest skyscraper and grandest pavilion, everything is designed to gratify a multitude of senses."

They followed Emim to the entrance of the building: two massive double-doors made of pure sterling silver. The flawless mirror finish was unquestionably the work of a skilled craftsman dedicated to his work. Engraved into the silver surface of the door, was an elaborate scene depicting a lovely garden of fruit trees. In the center of the garden, stood two figures; a naked man holding the hand of a naked woman. Above them hung a beautiful angel adorned with many gemstones.

"Garden of Eden," Daniel commented with great admiration.

"Haven't you been here before?" Sam asked with surprise.

"No. I've spent all my time down in the caverns," Daniel answered, studying the engraving. "The details in this engraving are incredible. You can actually see the veins in the leaves on the trees… and look at the angel's wings; you can actually feel the barbules!"

"Barbules? I am unfamiliar with that term, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied, moving his face one-quarter of an inch from the angel's wings.

"They're the tiny hair-like branches that grow off the barbs on the soft part of the feather," Daniel answered.

"Hmmm, I need a shave," Jack commented examining the reflection of his face in the door.

"Shall we?" Emim asked, waving his hand slowly above his head.

"What's he doing?" Jack asked Daniel.

The double-doors slowly glided open.

-21-

The double-doors opened to reveal a magnificent marble-floored foyer with a pair of gently curving staircases that were 12 feet wide going up each side of the foyer. In the center of the room, stood an enormous water fountain made completely of smooth, clear crystal.

The fountain consisted of three heart-shaped tiers of increasing width, spaced 12 inches apart. Each tier sported a variety of carefully carved, crystal doves that appeared to be dancing along the edges of the fountain as the sparkling water gently spilled past them toward the bottom level.

Several small, but ornate crystal tables offering dishes of tasty tidbits were well placed around the room, spreading the tempting aromas of these delicacies throughout the room.

"Please, feel free to partake," Emim offered, moving his arm out from his body in a wide sweeping motion.

Not wanting to offend, Daniel stepped up to the nearest table and selected what appeared to be a triangular fruit-filled cookie. He took a small bite, and smiled. "This is delicious!" he said excitedly and popped the rest of the cookie in his mouth. "What was that?"

"An ugiya," Emim replied.

"Cookie," Daniel translated. "It's very good," he added, taking another.

Teal'c stepped forward and selected a smooth orange fruit shaped like a cube. "Most satisfying," he said, smiling.

"Everything does smell good," Sam said eyeing a flat looking pastry.

"Go ahead, you know you want to," Jack urged, stepping forward and taking an ugiya.

Emim waited patiently while his guests sampled a few other delicacies.

"I've never tasted anything so wonderful," Daniel said popping an orange fruit cube in his mouth.

"I believe you have forgotten our experience with Urgo," Teal'c reminded.

"Oh please… let's not discuss _him_!" Jack said frowning. "I think I've lost my appetite."

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Daniel asked Emim.

"I'm satisfied for the moment. You should know there are servings of food throughout the building. You may continue to partake as you feel the desire," Emim explained politely.

"If you nibble all day long, how do you manage to eat at mealtime?" Sam asked.

"We do not observe set 'mealtimes'," Emim explained. "We believe the practice of alternating between fasting and gorging is unhealthy, as well as unnecessary here on Neona. Satisfying food is both plentiful and readily available. There is no need to deny oneself sustenance."

As the small group, finished their snacks, Sam noticed soft, melodic music playing quietly in the background. As she focused her attention on the gentle instrumental tune, the music seemed to intensify and grow louder. It was redolent of romance and tenderness. She'd expect to hear something like this accompanying a romantic scene in a movie.

"Listen to that music," Sam commented appreciatively. "How long has it been playing?" she asked.

"Do you like it?" Emim replied.

"Yes, it is very beautiful. I've never heard anything quite like it. It is stirring and calming at the same time," Sam remarked in amazement.

"I am glad to see we share an appreciation for music," Emim responded. "Music is very near and dear to the hearts of the Neonans. We believe it is as vital to the soul as food is to the body."

"Walter Savage Landor once said,'_Music is God's gift to man, the only art of Heaven given to earth, the only art of earth we take to Heaven_,'" said Daniel.

"I can appreciate the virtues of a snappy song," Jack added, humming the theme song to the television show '_The Simpson's'_.

"If you're ready to move on…" Emim said quickly.

"Once you hear it, you can't get it out of your head," Jack replied, smiling.

Emim led the group straight through the foyer to a pair of French doors that opened up into an enormous room paneled in dark cherry wood. This room appeared to have several uses: a sitting area replete with fireplace and bookcases was set up at the far end of the room; a full-sized pool table positioned in the room's center; and 50' solid black, acoustic Grand piano in the alcove to the right of the room's entrance.

Emim invited his guests to have a seat in the sitting area which comprised of two velvet covered davenports and a handsome mahogany coffee table. This area of the room boasted two large windows displaying a stunning panoramic view of the snow-capped mountain range in the distance.

"Please have a seat and make yourselves at home," Emim said, stepping aside to allow the group to pass. "Representative Rephaim will be joining us shortly."

Daniel was surprised at how comfortable the sofa was to sit in. It felt _good_ to sit on. A quick glance at the expressions on his colleagues' faces told him they were equally impressed.

"I don't suppose you picked this up at _Bob's Discount Furniture_?" Jack asked.

Emim didn't respond; either he didn't hear Jack or didn't care to reply. Daniel couldn't be sure. _Perhaps he just doesn't understand Jack's sense of humor, _Daniel reasoned._ Well, he wouldn't be the first one._

-22-

It wasn't long before Representative Rephaim joined the group. "Shalom!" he called out excitedly, walking quickly: coming at them with outstretched arms.

Daniel, with some reluctance, rose from his seat. "Shalom, I'm Daniel Jackson," he said, receiving a big bear hug from Rephaim.

"I'm so glad we finally meet, Daniel," Rephaim said, patting Daniel on his upper arm.

"This is General Jack O'Neill, Colonel Samantha Carter, and Teal'c," Daniel said by way of introduction.

Rephaim greeted the others with hugs as well.

Daniel was impressed; he knew the Neonans were a gregarious people, but yet, he was still unprepared for this kind of reception.

A pretty, young lady entered the room carrying a tray over-filled with more delicious-looking treats. She carefully set it down in the center of the coffee table.

"This is our dear Shiphrah," Rephaim said, introducing her as if she were his own daughter.

"Shiphrah…beautiful," Daniel said with admiration. "I mean… that's what her name means in Hebrew… not that she isn't beautiful- she is."

"Thank you," she replied, averting her eyes and backing out of the room demurely.

"Well, Representative Rephaim, shall we get down to business?" Jack asked politely.

"Please, call me Rephaim," he answered, gesturing for them to take a seat. "I am pleased that you have come to discuss the terms of our alliance," he added.

"Yeah well, you know, Rephaim, in order to form an alliance, we need to know a little about your people and your planet," Jack stated. This will help us clarify what you have to offer and what you'd like in return."

"It is simple, General," Rephaim answered smiling. "What we have to offer is all that we have. Whatever you see, that you desire, you may have; we hold nothing back. We offer you our technology, building materials, natural resources, and whatever else you might need. For example, Major Williams tells me that your planet has limited gold, silver, and fine gemstones; we have an over-abundance of these. You are more than welcome to take what you need.

"As to what we'd like in return," Rephaim leaned back in his seat before continuing, "Our needs are simple; we simply wish your friendship. Our population is small, and we desire social contact and exchange with others."

"You will give us anything we want in exchange for being your friends?" Jack asked incredulously.

"Yes, in a manner of speaking," Rephaim answered.

"That is very generous," Jack replied. "In fact, I don't think I've ever had a more benevolent offer; but you should know, you don't have to buy our friendship."

"In some cultures, gifts are given at the inception of a relationship to demonstrate friendly intentions," Daniel commented. "In these cases, the giving of a gift is meant to show honor and respect to the recipient. The more precious the gift, indicates a higher level of honor and respect paid to the recipient."

"Yes, thank you, Daniel," Rephaim said, nodding affirmatively.

"I have seen many outrageous demands made upon the weak and helpless in the name of 'friendship'," Teal'c stated flatly. "People have been enslaved, tortured, and beaten into submission by those touting the promise of friendship and benevolence in exchange for obedience and worship."

Rephaim smiled. "Yes, that is the way of the misguided. We do not approve of such violence."

"Nor do we," Daniel responded.

"Good," Rephaim continued. "Perhaps it would help if I explain a few things."

"Please do," Jack answered.

"When we first arrived on this planet," Rephaim explained, "with the limited resources such as they were, we were immediately faced with the threat of extinction. We had escaped the flood on Earth only to face the threat of dying here in our new homeland from lack of enough food. After much discussion, many of our people volunteered to be 'put to sleep' in clay vessels, beginning their ascension process much earlier than expected. These, are the clay vessels we have stored in our caves. There are literally thousands upon thousands of our people 'asleep' in these urns awaiting the time of their awakening. The numbers of those who remained were few and insignificant. It has been a long and arduous process, but we've managed to build and establish a flourishing community. A community that lacks nothing, but its people."

"Why don't you just open the urns?" Sam asked curiously.

"Because, the urns must only be opened by the chosen ones," Rephaim answered. "Anyone else would be unable to do it."

"Like in that Disney cartoon, _The Sword and the Stone_," Jack answered.

"I am unfamiliar with that movie," Teal'c replied.

"It's based on the legend of King Arthur," Daniel commented. "It was believed that whoever could pull this sword from the stone was the true King of England. Many strong and brave men tried to remove it, but could not. In the end, a young boy named Arthur, without any effort, withdrew the sword from the stone and was proclaimed King."

"I do not believe a sword strong enough to pierce a stone would not split it," Teal'c answered.

"You gotta see the movie," Jack answered. "It's better than _Star Wars_."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"We can watch it when we get back home," Jack added.

"The point is, that only one person could remove the sword," Daniel stated. "And it appears that only one person can open an urn."

"There is one chosen person meant for each urn," Rephaim concluded. "Our few are not the chosen for the remaining urns. We must find their chosen amongst people of other planets."

Jack glanced at Daniel. "So, you think we might be 'chosen ones' to your 'sleeping' and you want us to take turns trying to open your urns."

"No. Only the chosen ones can release the souls in the urns," Rephaim insisted. "Others would not be tempted to nor able to even touch the urns."

"What about the urn Daniel has?" Teal'c asked.

Rephaim looked at Daniel in surprise. "You have one of our urns?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, uhh… I-I was studying it… along with a few other artifacts I brought back from the caves," Daniel answered. "I did have permission to explore your caves and study your historical artifacts…"

Rephaim hesitated before speaking. "Artifacts yes, but you should not have been interested in any of the urns…"

"That's the thing about Daniel. He's interested in anything old that has been buried in dirt or caves for millions of years as long as it is rotted, broken, cracked, dusty, and worthless… doesn't matter. He's funny that way," Jack responded.

"I'm an archeologist…" Daniel objected.

"You are a chosen one!" Rephaim exclaimed gleefully.

"That is what Tatarina says," Daniel replied.

"Tatarina?" Rephaim asked. "You have released Tatarina's soul?"

"Well… not entirely. You see, I don't believe it's my place to break open the seal on your urn… It doesn't belong to me. That's why I'm here. You see, I'd like to purchase the urn so that I may open it," Daniel explained carefully. "I love her."

"How could you know who she is if you didn't remove the cover stone?" Rephaim asked incredulously.

"That's the thing. I didn't. I couldn't have. I took the cover stone from the cave without the urn first; then on my second trip, I retrieved the urn. I didn't realize they belonged together," Daniel said apologetically. "I intended on returning the urn, cover stone, and other artifacts after studying them."

"If Tatarina has spoken with you, and you understand that you are her chosen one, then you must know that you removed the cover stone. It is the only way she would be able to speak with you," Rephaim answered.

"Maybe you broke the seal unintentionally," Sam suggested. "You said the caves were crammed full of artifacts and stuff. Maybe you tipped it over and the cover stone broke off."

"No. I am very careful; besides, I remember taking the urn. It was upright," Daniel insisted.

"No matter, you say you want to purchase the urn because you love her?" Rephaim asked.

"Yes, with all my heart," Daniel said earnestly.

"Daniel, you don't even _know_ her!" Jack exclaimed.

"Enough!" Rephaim shouted. "The urn belongs to you, Daniel. You must understand, just as the sword belonged to Arthur, Tatarina belongs to you. You need not purchase that which is already yours. Open the second seal."

"Excuse me, but I think it would be wise to run some tests on the urn before we open it," Sam suggested. "It has already proven to have a power over Daniel we can not explain."

"What do you mean?" Rephaim asked.

"Well, sir, to be quite blunt," Sam explained. "Daniel _has been_ physically affected by something in that urn. Daniel wants to break the second seal to release Tatarina and frankly I think releasing what is inside that urn could affect him, if not all of us more than what we've already been witness to. I think it would wise to at least x-ray the jar and see what exactly is inside before opening it."

"Daniel, exactly what physical effects have you suffered?" Rephaim asked.

"Pretty much I've been feeling great: euphoric in fact. I've not been tired or hungry, my eyesight improved, I've been feeling more alive and energetic than ever," Daniel began.

"Daniel, you've had black-outs, and a fuzzy memory, not to mention you've been driving the women crazy throwing your sex-crazed hormones around the base," Jack interrupted.

"**_Pheromones_** and they've returned to normal now; as did my eyesight, hunger, and requirement for sleep. I'm perfectly back to normal," Daniel argued.

"What you have experienced Daniel, is the normal transitory physical response one experiences when first encountering their intended," Rephaim answered. "The vitality, euphoric feelings, increased pheromone levels, high energy levels, improved eyesight all follow the removal of the cover stone and the break of the first seal. You need not worry; these physical changes subside in time, as you have seen. I am pleased you have met your intended. This is most encouraging indeed. Perhaps others of you are here to meet your intended… Have any of you experienced the desire to visit the Caves of Keber to see the urns?"

"I prefer to find my women the old fashioned way," Jack replied.

"How's that?" Rephaim asked curiously.

"Well, for me, it's a matter of knowing where to go. I've hooked-up with a few at the bait store, ran into others at the auto repair, and bowled over one or two at the lanes," Jack answered smugly.

"Really? That's very unusual," Daniel commented.

"It's nothing. Last week I met a red-headed fox at the zoo, and a Queen at the bee-hive exhibit. I had this chick over for Thanksgiving dinner, she was a real turkey!" Jack bragged.

Everyone groaned. Jack laughed.

"How about you, Colonel?" Rephaim asked, ignoring the laughs.

"No thank you. I've never been much for blind dates," Sam replied snickering.

"Teal'c?"

"I must decline your offer as I am already spoken for," Teal'c answered.

"Very well," Rephaim replied sadly. "Please, Daniel, do not wait any longer to break the second seal or it will be too late," Rephaim added. "And, I must warn you, _do not_ perform any tests on Tatarina's urn."


	5. Chapters 23 to 35

-23- 

Back in the Conference Room at Stargate Command, Daniel sat quietly thinking about the Neonans. He felt sorry for them. All they wanted was some social contact with others. Perhaps it would be a good idea to introduce them to some of the gentler civilizations SG-1 had encountered.

"So, anyone have any comments or thoughts to share?" Jack asked.

"I think it's obvious that the Neonans are a peaceful, generous people and I think we should move forward in establishing an alliance with them," Daniel suggested.

"Aren't we jumping the gun a bit on this?" Sam countered. "After all, looks can be deceiving."

"They've given us no reason to doubt their motives," Daniel argued.

"I must admit, General O'Neill. They have shown no signs of aggression, and they appear to have no weaponry or defense system," Teal'c added.

"I hate to be the one to play Devil's advocate here," Sam said tensely, "But, these people were supposedly so evil that God flooded their world to kill them. Isn't it entirely possible that they are hiding something? Perhaps they have developed some other means of defense or even some advanced type of assault weapon that we can't recognize?"

"Consider the focus of their society, Sam," Daniel responded. "Everything about them: their mannerisms, their beliefs, their attitudes. They abhor violence and they don't accept death; in fact, they _dedicate_ their lives to pursuing the satisfaction and joy of _life!_"

"I'll admit, they present themselves well," Sam conceded. "I'm just not convinced we should take them at face value."

"Well, I don't know what to say," Daniel replied, annoyed. "You've just spent 20 minutes on a planet you know very little about and though there is no evidence to warrant it, you come to the conclusion they are some kind of threat."

"Daniel….You're right. I haven't spent enough time with these people, but that is precisely the reason I _am _suspicious. I _don't_ know them. _You_ of all people should be able to appreciate that," Sam answered. She leaned toward him and placed her hand on his to calm him. "I'm not the enemy, Daniel."

"They're not either, Sam," Daniel responded. "I've read their history, I've spent time with Tatarina… I _know_ they are a peace-loving people. What can I say to convince you all?" Agitated, Daniel rose from his seat and began pacing back and forth.

"Daniel, Tatarina is not Sha're and this planet is not Abydos," Jack said gently.

"This isn't about that!" Daniel said angrily.

"Okay, Daniel, what is it about?" Jack answered.

"It's about trust and looking for the good in people," Daniel began. "How can we expect people to trust us, when we don't show them that same trust?"

"There's trust and there's common sense, Daniel. They go hand in hand. You don't discard one for the sake of the other," Jack explained. "My common sense tells me that something is not right. I'm not saying they're evil or anything. I just think we should take the time to check things out… you know, get to know them better. Slowly."

"That's just it, Jack," Daniel objected. "They are a simple people. Their interests are in art, music, and the things it takes to enjoy life. There is nothing else. They want nothing more than to be our friends. You're just spooked because you don't understand the ascension process or the joining of two souls."

"You're right, Daniel. I don't understand them," Jack said earnestly. "It makes no sense whatsoever to me, and it would to you too if you just sat down and looked at it with your eyes instead of your heart! Honestly Daniel, they tell you you've got Tatarina in a jar and to set her free; to entice you to do this they tell you that letting her loose will grant you wisdom, eternal life and power beyond imagination… doesn't this sound a bit like Aladdin and the magic lamp?"

"It's real, Jack." Daniel folded his arms across his chest. He was losing patience. "You saw Tatarina for yourself. What more do you need?"

"This just doesn't sound right," Jack answered.

"You just don't understand the customs, that's all," Daniel replied. "Listen, before I appeared to you in my ascended form, did you ever believe ascension was possible? or that I'd ever return?"

"Of course not Daniel, but we had proof of the Ancients before that…"

"And these are the same Ancients that designed this way of life on Neona," Daniel explained.

"It just sounds too bizarre, not to mention dangerous," Jack argued.

"You just don't understand," Daniel shot back.

"Okay. I can't believe I'm saying this, but here goes—explain it to me. Tell me what the deal is with these urns," Jack answered.

Daniel smiled and sat down eagerly. "It's all about blending and ascension. It's a process. As I understand it, breaking the first seal releases the spirit and begins the bonding process between the chosen one and the one who sleeps, thereby beginning the initial courtship that unites the two souls in marriage. Once the second seal is broken, the marriage ceremony begins and the promises and blessings are bestowed upon the couple who are seen as a bonded unit. Wisdom, power, and eternal life are among the many blessings that are given as rewards for the chosen one's strength of character as demonstrated by his proven fidelity, integrity, and love."

Jack didn't blink.

Daniel wondered what he was thinking. Had he said anything to help convince Jack that the Neonans were who they said they were?

"Jack?" Daniel said tentatively.

"Yes Daniel."

"Did what I say help?"

"Not a bit. Sorry Daniel. I know you want to break open that urn, but until we get more information, I think we should hold off on doing anything with it. Your room is quarantined and I am forbidding further access to Neona until we reach a final decision," Jack answered. "You can use the guest quarters as your own until this is resolved."

-24-

Daniel stopped at the Commissary to grab a bite to eat before heading to the guest quarters. It was funny how annoying he found it to feel hunger pains again. In the mood for something sweet, Daniel selected a generous plate of pancakes to go with his mug of coffee. After pouring gobs of syrup on his pancakes, he eagerly gobbled up his food.

"Hey Daniel," Sam said, seating herself at Daniel's table.

"Aren't you eating?" Daniel asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"Jack went out to pick up a couple of pizzas. We're going to watch a movie in his quarters. I was hoping you'd come?"

"What are you gonna watch?" he asked curiously.

"Jack wants to watch the Disney version of The_ Sword and The Stone_, but Teal'c wants to watch _Star Wars_ again."

"Uh, no thanks," Daniel answered. "I think I'll try to catch up on my sleep."

"Listen Daniel… I'm sorry about how things turned out at the meeting," she said apologetically. "I know you really believe in the Neonans. I sincerely hope you're right. I just want you to know that."

"I understand."

"If you change your mind…" Sam said hopefully.

"I'll know where to find you," Daniel answered.

He probably should have gone and made peace with Jack, but he just wasn't ready. _Nothing is going to convince Jack to change his mind_, Daniel reasoned. _He is more stubborn than a bulldog!_

Daniel closed his eyes and let images of Tatarina fill his mind. _She doesn't have much time._ This he knew. _If Jack postponed this long enough, she wouldn't survive and there wouldn't be a decision for him to make_, Daniel reasoned. He must do something before it was too late… maybe if he had acted sooner Sha're would still be alive.

Daniel glanced around the room. It was getting late and aside from the cook, there wasn't anyone else in the room. This time of night the base winds down, Daniel considered. If Daniel was going to do something, now was the time to do it…. And he knew just what to do.

-25-

"Hi Jack," Sam said, entering Jack's quarters. 'I see you're back from the pizza place. Mmm, the pizza smells delicious. Where's Teal'c?"

"Don't know. I thought he'd be here by now. Daniel coming?"

"No. He says he's tired and going to bed. I think he's still upset about Neona."

"He'll get over it. After a goodnight's rest he'll be back to his old self."

"I don't think so sir," Sam replied.

Jack frowned. "Any chance you heard back from your dad?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. He said that the Tok'ra have not met the Neonans. I don't suppose you have any idea when you'll hear from Thor?" Sam asked.

"No… but maybe it would be a good idea to try contacting him again tonight," Jack considered. "Where _is_ Teal'c? The pizza is getting cold," Jack complained.

"He should have been here by now," Sam answered. "I'll go see if he's in his quarters, sir."

"I think I'll put another call through to Thor," Jack decided.

-26-

Daniel hastily made his way to his quarters. As he approached the area, he caught sight of the guard at his door.

"Thank goodness, you're still here!" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Dr. Jackson; I cannot allow you to enter. General O'Neill has issued orders to enforce a full quarantine on your quarters."

"Huh? Ohhh… you think the quarantine includes me!" Daniel laughed.

"The orders specifically say _all _base personnel," the guard explained adamantly.

"Yes, I know. I requested it," Daniel began. "You see, I have some very sensitive artifacts in there that mustn't be tampered with."

He really didn't like lying to the guard, but this was a matter of life or death. He just couldn't let Tatarina die because Jack wouldn't accept the Neonan customs. He knew the only thing coming between him and Tatarina was Jack. Once Tatarina was freed, Daniel would have the proof needed to convince Jack and the others that the Neonan's were harmless.

"Sir, wouldn't it be better to have these artifacts moved to a more secure location?" the guard asked.

"Not in this case, this is a short-term quarantine. I'm working in my lab at the moment and just stopped by to pick up a few necessary things. I'll only be gone for a few hours, when I return the quarantine can be lifted," Daniel explained.

"Sorry, sir," the guard refused to step aside.

This wasn't going as easily as he had anticipated.

"Listen, these are my quarters. Do you honestly think the General would bar me from my own quarters?"

"Sorry, sir. I can't let you pass."

"Fine. General O'Neill is in the middle of an important conference meeting, but I'll just go up there and interrupt. He can come all the way down here just to tell you in person that I can enter my own quarters. I'm sure he'll be very appreciative of being dragged away from an important meeting on homeland security."

The guard looked at Daniel uneasily. He was softening.

"Look soldier, I only want to run in and grab a few things. I won't be more than 5 minutes. In and out. Really quick. I promise. You can even time me! Just stand right here outside the door and keep anyone else from entering. Okay?"

The guard looked at Daniel questioningly. "5 minutes?" he asked.

"You're new here aren't you?" Daniel asked. "I'd hate to see you get into trouble for..."

"Well I suppose if they didn't want to allow you access to whatever is in your room, they wouldn't have left it in there in the first place," the guard reasoned.

"Glad to see you're not going to make me interrupt the General," Daniel replied with authority.

The guard stepped aside, allowing Daniel to pass.

There wasn't much time so Daniel grabbed a large duffle bag and stuffed some of his clothes into it. Gently lifting the urn with its glowing cover stone, Daniel carefully packed it inside the bag. After stuffing some socks, three t-shirts, and a thick woolen sweater into the bag, he zipped it closed and headed out the door.

"You're doing a fine job," Daniel said to the guard as he closed the door behind him. "Keep up the good work."

"Thank you sir," the guard replied, standing at attention.

Daniel hastily made his way to his assigned guest quarters, being careful to avoid using the corridors in which he was most likely to run into Jack, Teal'c, or Sam.

"It won't be long now, Tatarina," Daniel whispered.

-27-

"Thor! Old Buddy! How ya doing?" Jack said, happy to see his Asgard friend.

"O'Neill, I am sorry for the delay. I came as quickly as I could," Thor replied.

"I appreciate that and I won't keep you. I would just like to know what you have on the people occupying the planet PX-9994 otherwise known as Neona," Jack explained. "They seem a friendly sort. Very generous. But, I must admit, I'm not entirely convinced of their sincerity."

"The Neonans?" Thor repeated. "I am very familiar with their society and must warn you; they are not who they pretend to be."

"Very cryptic, Thor," Jack replied. "Can't you be a little more specific?"

"They pretend to be a race of humans originally displaced from your planet. They offer what they know is needed asking nothing in return. But, what they take ends up being more costly than what they give," Thor explained.

"I don't understand," Jack answered, "All they ask is friendship. They're hoping to increase their population by opening up their planet to others who might like to live there and build their life with them."

"The Neonans are not humans. They are angels. Fallen angels," Thor stated.

"Angels? As in those heavenly creatures watching over us doing God's work?" Jack asked.

"Yes and no," Thor answered. "Fallen angels are the ones who left the heavens many years ago. Led by Lucifer, one-third of the angels left the heavens and dwelt upon the Earth. They saw that the women of man were beautiful and took them as wives, who bore them children. By propagating this mixed breed, known as the Nephilim, the fallen angels attempted to destroy the pure lineage of Adam. They expected to prevent the birth of the Messiah that God had promised.

"Their presence on Earth had serious consequences upon the humans of that era. Through temptation and deception, they enticed man to reject God and his promises, and seek prominence and power instead. Godlessness led to hedonism, which led to murder, violence, theft, and all manners of evil.

"When evilness had overtaken everyone on Earth but Noah and his family, God informed Noah of his plans to destroy Earth's inhabitants. God warned Noah in time to prepare for the flood. The flood killed all Earth's inhabitants."

"The humans, the Nephilim and many fallen angels drowned in the flood. However, a small group of those fallen angels managed to escape to Neona. Their plans are, to begin again. What worked before will work again. They plan to entice others to come to their planet and join them. Their hope is, by offering a tempting paradise others will join them. But, if any man joins their society, they will not live long enough to enjoy it.

"What does that accomplish?" Jack asked angrily.

"The elimination of man. It has been said, that man, ultimately, will be elevated above the angels. In fact, man will judge them," Thor continued. "Their intent is to wipe-out human existence, ultimately defeating God, and claiming the Earth and heavens as their own."

"So, we should just refuse their invitation to move in and the threat is avoided," Jack reasoned.

"It's not that simple," Thor informed.

"It never is, is it?" Jack said sarcastically.

"Tell me, have you opened any of their urns?"

-28-

Daniel quickly placed the duffle bag on the bed and slowly unzipped it. Carefully pushing his clothing aside, he reached deep inside for the urn.

"This is it, Tatarina!" he said excitedly.

He lifted the urn out of the bag and placed it on the dresser nearby. Daniel looked at it half expecting Tatarina to appear. He glanced around the room, but everything remained quiet and still.

He returned his gaze to the urn. It too seemed to be lacking something. _What?_ he wondered. He stared into the wide, green painted eyes that had previously connected to his soul; now, they seemed dull and flat. They lacked…life.

_Was it too late?_ _Was Tatarina…gone?_

Daniel ran his fingers along the delicate features of the face on the urn. It felt cold and rough. _Had she left without saying good-bye?_ There was no sign of life. Even the cover stone no longer glowed.

Daniel took the urn and held it against his chest. A single teardrop ran down his face and fell upon the cover stone of the urn.

-29-

"What?" Jack asked.

"Have you opened any of their urns?" Thor repeated.

"Uh… no… well, maybe… just a little bit," Jack answered, unsure.

"If you open an urn, you open an invitation for death," Thor warned.

_Urns? What's with the urns? _Jack wondered. "May I ask how?" he said sarcastically.

"Each urn is sealed with two seals," Thor explained. "The top section is sealed and covered with a stone; it is meant to be opened first. By removing the cover stone, the top seal is broken and an invisible gas is released. The Neonans will tell you, it is the Spirit of the Sleeping One that is released, but in reality, it is no Spirit. It is a scentless gas that permeates the skin and affects the brain. The physical response to this gas is nearly undetectable, but clearly evident within the first 8 hours of contact. It is not life threatening or permanent, but deadly nonetheless."

"Not life threatening, but deadly?" Jack said with disbelief, "Thor, I would think that 'life threatening' falls into the category of 'deadly', wouldn't you?"

"One does not die from the invisible gas and it doesn't cause any damage to the internal organs or remain in the body. However, releasing the gas is like springing a bear-trap. It alerts the hunter of its prey. The cover stone begins to glow and the fallen angel appears. The fallen angel convinces their prey that they have been 'asleep' and are waiting upon their intended, to release them from their urn," Thor explained. "They will cajole, beg, plead, order, and threaten to get what they want," Thor warned. "Don't visit that planet under any conditions."

"Too late, been there done that," Jack replied. He _knew_ these characters were too good to be true. _How can Daniel fall for this so easily?_ He knew. Daniel was well…Daniel. He'd save a barracuda from extinction.

"What's next?" Jack asked, bracing himself for the worst because it obviously wasn't going to get any better.

"If you've removed the cover stone and broken the first seal, you have a problem," Thor said.

"I can sense that," Jack responded.

"The cover stone reads and records the personal cell structure of whoever breaks the seal, in the process sealing that person to one specific fallen angel," explained Thor. "No one else may touch the urn once the gas is released and once the gas is released, the testing begins."

"Testing? for what? Does this have something to do with elevated pheromones?" Jack asked folding his arms across his chest. Oddly enough, this actually was beginning to make sense.

"Elevated pheromones are one of many physical changes caused by the gas," Thor answered. "It also sets off the conditions that make the first test possible."

"What test!" Jack was growing impatient.

"Elevated pheromones draw the sexual attentions of the members of the opposite sex. The test is one of sexual fidelity, or rather, faithfulness," Thor explained.

"This explains a few things," Jack mumbled. "What does it mean when the pheromone levels drop and return to normal?"

"It means that the first test is over," Thor answered.

"How many tests are there?" Jack asked.

"There are three tests in all. Each subsequent test is designed to require more of a commitment than the one before," Thor continued.

"What is the second test?" Jack demanded. He knew Daniel was well on his way to the second test, if not the third.

"The second test…"

-30-

The cover stone began to glow: bright and strong. Daniel could feel the urn grow warmer and begin to quiver in his arms. He quickly placed the urn back on the dresser. Staring at the glowing cover stone, Daniel watched as the light intensified, illuminating the room as bright as day. It was nearly blinding and had a hypnotic effect on Daniel.

The room filled with the familiar scent of lilacs.

The light from the stone prevented Daniel from seeing anything but Tatarina.

"Tatarina…" Daniel called excitedly.

"Daniel, my besheret," she said, moving closer to him. "I am so glad you're here. Have you..."

"It's mine," Daniel interrupted, referring to the urn. He was so relieved to see Tatarina; he threw his arms around her and smothered her with kisses."

"Oh, my Daniel…" she murmured into his ear. "Are you ready to break the second seal?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Daniel grabbed the urn, removed the cover stone, and broke the second seal.

"Oh, Daniel, my love…you've passed the second test!" Tatarina cried, throwing her arms around him and knocking him to the floor. They held each other close kissing, hugging, and laughing with joy.

-31-

"After passing the test of fidelity, the chosen one must show the integrity of his word, the genuineness of his commitment to his beloved. The second test is a demonstration of this integrity," Thor explained. "It is an affirmation of one's intent to be true to their word. By this point, the chosen one has declared his love to the fallen angel and has promised to release his beloved from the urn; breaking the second seal is proof of his commitment to follow through on his promises to the fallen angel.

The 'test' is merely an attempt to force the chosen one to break the second seal of the urn. In reality, this does nothing in the physical realm, but spiritually it acts as a vow to the fallen angel. By pledging his commitment to the fallen angel, the chosen one is primed for the third and final test: the ultimate test."

-32-

"Daniel, my love, you have demonstrated your faithfulness and your integrity, but _how much_ do you love me? I've waited such a _long time_ for you, I need to know…" Tatarina pulled away from Daniel. The troubled look on her face saddened Daniel.

_How could she not know how devoted he was to her?_ he wondered. He loved her _with all his soul_. He had defended her, her homeland, and their customs to his colleagues. He may have even jeopardized his job for her… that is, if he still _had_ one when Jack gets through with him for breaking the quarantine. Daniel was fully aware that the quarantine on his room was intended for him more than anyone else.

"What can I do to convince you of my total devotion and dedication?" Daniel asked. He reached out for her, but she stepped away, turning her back.

Did he miss something? Perhaps a ritual he hadn't performed. Did she have an elder he needed to approach, to ask for her hand in marriage? Daniel didn't recall coming across anything in the tablets about that…but, you never know. Certainly, she wouldn't fault him for being ignorant of the customs of her planet, would she? He couldn't bear to hurt her.

He watched her take the urn and place it on the floor beside the bed. Carefully she replaced the cover stone and kneeled on the floor beside the urn. She closed her eyes and sat quietly.

Daniel had a seat beside her. At first, he waited for her to say something. As she sat there, He watched, admiring the delicate lines of her face and the soft curves of her lips. Though they sat inches apart, he couldn't bear the distance between them and moved directly behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

She leaned back into him, keeping her eyes closed.

It was more than he could take. He gently tilted her face up to his and pressed his lips against hers. She turned and put her arms around him, smiling.

"Daniel, my besheret, it is time for your third and final test," she announced, leaning toward the urn.

Daniel reluctantly released her.

"First you must, remove the cover stone and face your destiny," she commanded.

Daniel looked at her curiously, but did as he was told. The cover stone's glow began to fade and the room darkened.

"You must reach into the urn and retrieve what is inside," she explained.

The curvaceous shape of the urn made this request difficult for Daniel to do. His hand passed through the wide opening at the top effortlessly, however, the urn narrowed at the middle preventing him from reaching the bottom.

Tatarina watched excitedly. "You can do it, Daniel," she urged.

Not wanting to disappoint her, he pressed his hand hard against the narrow section of the urn, trying to force it passed. Determined, he wiggled his long fingers trying to locate what was at the bottom of the urn.

"There's nothing there," he complained.

"You are giving up, my love?" she asked, challenging him.

"Is there something there?" he asked.

"What destiny do you choose?" she answered.

"I don't understand," he replied. "What is inside is my destiny?" he asked.

"Yes."

Daniel frowned. "The only thing in this urn is my hand."

"That is true."

"Then why did you tell me to take what is inside?" he asked. He began to remove his hand, only to find that it was stuck. "I can't remove my hand," he said.

"Your destiny is what you choose, Daniel," Tatarina explained. "Like your hand stuck in the urn, you must decide if you wish to move forward or retreat. What you choose will be your destiny. What do you choose?"

Daniel stared at the urn. "My destiny is you. You are my heart's desire," he explained.

"Then you must give me your hand," she ordered, "Show me you want to move forward and not retreat," she answered.

_How was he going to get his hand out of the urn if he couldn't pull it out the way it went in? he wondered._

Daniel glanced at her, considering the possibilities. It was obvious that symbolically, the correct answer was to push his hand forward through the base of the urn indicating he wished to move forward in his relationship with her. However, his hand could move no farther without breaking his wrist or splitting the urn.

She arose from the floor and began to walk in a circle around him, keeping her full attention on him. "Do you give up so easily, my besheret?" she asked, mocking him.

"No," he answered adamantly, determined to prove his love to her.

Daniel closed his eyes and relaxed, concentrating on the urn…waiting for the answer to come to him.

Tatarina stepped behind Daniel and placed her hands on his shoulders.

Daniel felt a spark of electricity travel from her hands, through his body and down into the hand in the urn. His eyes flew open as the cover stone began to vibrate and glow once again. Instinctively, he reached for the cover stone with his free hand.

At first touch, Daniel felt the cover stone heat up, so he immediately pulled his hand away.

"No-no Daniel," Tatarina objected. "You mustn't remove your hand from the cover stone," she insisted.

Daniel opened his eyes and looked up into hers. As their eyes locked together, the desire within him to please her intensified.

"Daniel, my besheret," she said tenderly. "The test of love requires a vow of everlasting devotion…" she began.

"I promise my everlasting devotion to you, Tatarina," he said earnestly.

As he spoke those words, the urn split in two and fell to the floor.

Tatarina smiled, "The broken urn symbolizes the end and a release of your current life: a life without me. Now you must make the ultimate sacrifice. Place your hand on the cover stone," she urged.

Daniel hesistated. "The stone is hot…" he objected.

"I promise you Daniel, you won't feel a thing once your palm touches the center of the cover stone," she explained. "What you do now is show your willingness to sacrifice your temporal mortal body. Do it for me as a demonstration of your love."

"Sacrifice my temporal body? Die?" he asked in disbelief.

"It will not hurt, it will release your spirit and soul from this body so that you and I will be together in the next realm. We both will receive our new perfect bodies and be joined together for all eternity," she declared insistently. "Do it Daniel and you will pass the third and final test!" she ordered.

Daniel slowly lowered his hand onto the cover stone; the heat generated from the stone was almost unbearable. He pressed his palm against the center of the stone and a burst of red light blinded him. The room filled with thick smoke and Daniel collapsed. He grew weaker as he felt his life slip away.

-33-

The third test is the final test. It is called the 'ultimate test of love' because it demands _devotion unto physical death_. Since the ultimate gift of love is the sacrificial love for another, the fallen angel demands the willing self-sacrifice of the chosen one's life as a demonstration of that love. Just when it looks like the chosen one and his intended will be united forever, it all ends. The fallen angel has won the battle through deceit. Ultimately, all is lost," Thor concluded.

Jack closed his eyes. "I can't let this happen!" he said angrily. "I've got to go. Thank you Thor."

Jack tore out of the room and raced to the guest quarters, where Daniel was supposed to be sleeping.

_I hope there's still time…_

When he arrived, he found the door to Daniel's room wide open and Daniel lying still on the floor.

Jack rushed to Daniel's side and felt for a pulse. There was none.

-34-

Daniel woke up to the sounds of someone pounding on his door. It all hit him at once. His vision was blurry, he felt nauseous, his head hurt, and his mouth was dry. What was wrong with him? _Could all this be a reaction to the bright red light and thick smoke? Where is Tatarina? _

"Daniel! Wake up!" Jack shouted, from the other side of the door.

Daniel heard Jack unlock the door to his room.

"Daniel, I heard you screaming… Are you okay?" Jack asked, concerned, having a seat on the end of Daniel's bed. Teal'c and Sam were also in the room but hung back a few feet behind Jack.

Daniel squinted; "Tatarina?" he asked.

"Daniel, it's me, Jack," Jack said, trying to calm down Daniel.

"You're a little fuzzy," Daniel explained. He could just about make out Jack's face.

"Here, these may help," Jack said, handing Daniel his eyeglasses.

"Oh yeah, thanks," Daniel replied sheepishly. That explained the blurriness, but he still felt a pounding headache and nauseous stomach. "Where's Tatarina?" Daniel asked.

"Tatarina?" Jack asked, glancing questioningly at Sam and Teal'c.

Sam and Teal'c looked at each other and shrugged.

"Come on, guys. Quit joking around, where is she?" Daniel insisted.

"Daniel, we don't know who you're talking about," Jack answered.

"You know her, she's from the Neonan urn. I finally released her last night. She should be around here somewhere…" Daniel said, struggling to sit up.

"Daniel, there is no one in here but Carter, Teal'c and me. There was no one in here when I came in. There was no one in here last night when we carried you back to your room," Jack explained.

"You carried me back _from your room?_ No…" Daniel argued shaking his head.

"Last night we were all at my place having pepperoni pizza and beer. We watched a movie, you got drunk… by the way, you owe $13.50 for you share of the pizza, and we dragged your sorry butt back here for you to sleep it off," Jack explained.

"You're telling me…the trip to Neona, the past few days… last night… was all a dream," Daniel said sarcastically.

"Daniel, I have no idea what you're talking about. Where is Neona?" Jack asked.

"PX-9994 is the planet Neona, you sent me there with SG-18, where I worked for three days studying artifacts in their caves. The four of us went to Neona to meet with them after I opened an urn…" Daniel explained.

"Wait! Hold it! Please, no talk about _urns_. That's where I draw the line. Daniel, it was a dream," Jack insisted. "Tell him Teal'c…Carter?"

"Yes Daniel, you were with us at Jack's place last night. Don't you remember? We watched the _Wizard of Oz…" _Sam said gently.

"You can't tell me you don't remember a fine classic like that?" Jack added.

"No, Jack— it was real. Neona is a truly live place, Tatarina is as real as you or me," Daniel insisted.

"Perhaps last night's intoxication is causing you to believe your dream is real, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c commented. "Is this not similar to Dorothy's dream?"

"I did not 'dream up' Tatarina," Daniel insisted, growing angry.

"Dorothy didn't dream about her trip to Oz, she really went there," Jack argued.

"No, she had bumped her head and dreamt the whole thing," Sam disagreed.

"I believe Samantha Carter is correct. Aunt Em…" Teal'c explained.

"No! It's clear that the good witch of the North sent her back to Kansas. Trust me, I've watched the movie thirty-six times," Jack responded.

"Guys… Guys!" Daniel interrupted. "Who cares! We're talking about me."

"You _were_ with us last night. Anything else was a dream," Jack replied, indignantly.

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "Well then, let me tell you: It's obvious that the trip to Oz _was a dream_ because Dorothy's house was not left behind in Oz, where it should have been if it were not a dream."

"Nooo," Jack, shouted, covering his ears.

Daniel smiled at Jack's reaction, confidently folding his arms across his chest.

"Come'on guys, let's give Daniel some time to sleep this one off. No more beer for you young man," Jack said in a fatherly tone of voice.

"I hope you feel better soon," Sam said, heading out the door of Daniel's room.

Teal'c gave a slight bow and followed her.

"I'll have Janet pop by to check you out," Jack added, before heading out the door himself.

_Oh great!_ Daniel thought. His head throbbed with pain; it felt like a truck ran over him. A wave of nausea washed over him; he grabbed his stomach and moaned. _Could this really be the result of a hangover from last night, as Jack insisted? _He wracked his brain trying to remember what really happened last night; but the pain blurred his fading memories of the beautiful red-haired angel. It hurt too much to think, so he decided to let his tired body surrender to the sleepy unconsciousness descending upon him.


End file.
